It’s not uncommon to see automakers set lap time records on famed racetracks with camouflaged prototypes. The Nürburgring is a hotbed for this sort of stuff. But we’ve rarely seen an upcoming model show up at an actual race event in camouflaged form and set a lap record in the process. That’s precisely what Porsche did with the soon-to-be-released electric Porsche Cayenne. It also shattered the SUV record in a popular British hill climb event.
Within The Sports And Race Cars…A Porsche Cayenne
The event itself was the 2025 UK British Championship Hillclimb, at Shelsley Walsh. Porsche obviously wanted to make a statement by entering a Porsche Cayenne electric prototype in the Road Cars Series Production Electric class. I mean, it’s not as if Porsche was really subtle about it. The vehicle, due to its shape and size, is obviously a Cayenne. Porsche’s “camouflage” is also everything but understated. It’s purple, with large CAYENNE letters plastered all over it.
For, I guess, comic relief, Porsche added a roof rack, also wrapped in purple camouflage. Oh, and the car is absolutely silent. Come on guys, this is the electric Cayenne!
I guess Porsche wants to emphasize the fact that its upcoming electric daily driver, a family hauler that’ll spend most of its life shuttling kids to school and bringing the dog to the vet, can also hustle with some serious sports and race cars on a track. It was also pretty hilarious to see the Cayenne parading between vintage Porsche 911s and open-wheel, purpose-built machines.
Anyway, surprising no one, the Porsche Cayenne electric prototype shattered a record up that hill. Driven by Formula E factory test driver Gabriela Jilkova, the Cayenne prototype beat the SUV record by more than four seconds. The final time was a blistering 31.28 seconds. You can watch it all happening in the video at 29:13.
The Electric Porsche Cayenne Will Carry The Taycan’s Soul In A Sensible SUV Format
Porsche isn’t backing down on electric vehicles (EVs). After the success of the Taycan, it introduced the all-electric Macan. The Cayenne will be next on the list to go all-electric, followed by the 718 sports cars. That all being said, Porsche did also confirm that a gasoline-powered Cayenne will continue living alongside the electric model.
Technical details about Porsche’s flagship SUV in the electric space are still scarce, but we do know that it will ride on Porsche’s 800-volt Premium Platform Electric (PPE) architecture shared with the Macan EV and upcoming Audi EVs. Following the model’s tradition, it will continue to be offered in both standard and coupe body styles.
With notable players such as the Lucid Gravity rattling the cages of the establishment, Porsche and other legacy automakers are feeling the heat in the EV space. But Porsche has never backed down from a challenge. When teased by Elon Musk himself on the Taycan’s inability to lap the Nürburgring faster than the Tesla Model S Plaid, Porsche showed up to the fight, beating Tesla with the Turbo GT. And now that Porsche has entered its electric Cayenne in hill-climbing events, it’s fair to say the real deal is about to be revealed shortly. We’ll keep following the Cayenne electric’s development closely and will report back here once we know more.
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