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Camouflaged Porsche Cayenne Electric Competes In A Hill ClimbPorsche took a Cayenne EV prototype to a hill climb competition in the UK recently and smashed the SUV record time. It used to be automakers hid away prototypes from the public eye, going to great lengths to not only camouflage them, but to stay out of the eyes of the general public. That’s changed, at least to an extent, with Porsche and others showing them off.
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The competition in question was the Shelsley Walsh hill climb, which has been held annually since 1905, making it one of the oldest motorsports events in the world. Entrants were competing in the British Hillclimb Championship, so competition was fierce.
Plus, the 1,000-yard course provides plenty of challenges with narrow passages in spots and a 16.7 percent grade at certain points.
Image via PorscheBut Porsche showed up ready to give it the best shot. Gabriela Jílková, simulator and development driver for the TAG Heuer Porsche Formula E Team, was behind the wheel of the near-production prototype vehicle. She defeated the previous record for an SUV by a whopping four seconds.
Even more impressive, Jílková blew past the 60 foot mark off the starting line in just 1.94 seconds, matching the acceleration of purpose-built single-seater racecars outfitted with slicks. Instead, the Cayenne Electric was wearing summer tires.
To further demonstrate the capabilities of the Cayenne Electric, Porsche let Richard Hammond use it to tow a classic car from one location to another. The former Top Gear and The Grand Tour host said the SUV “handled it effortlessly.”
The whole point of that stunt was to showcase how the upcoming model can tow larger loads without issues. EVs have demonstrated explosive towing performance, but they have struggled with ranging plummeting to impractical distances.
For Goodwood Festival of Speed, the same Porsche Cayenne Electric driven by Jílková will be on display for the public. Like we said, it’s no longer a time when automakers are always hiding prototypes.
Images via Porsche
