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ICE DRIFTING IN THE 800 KW PORSCHE GT4 E-PERFORMANCE LOOKS PRETTY DAMN... COOL.

Published: 2024-03-13 14:33:59 Last Updated: 2024-03-13 18:40:12

Finland is a frozen wonderland, where the air is crisp, and the pine trees stand tall against the backdrop of the Arctic Circle. Now, imagine drifting an 800 kW all-electric race car through this icy landscape. Well, that's exactly what Porsche's Oliver Schwab and Björn Förster did on their quest to unlock the performance of the stunning Porsche GT4 e-Performance. In Levi, Finland, this unconventional market research expedition took place in late December of 2023, which is why you’ve possible seen or heard about some of the shenanigans that took place. But this wasn't your typical motoring media event, it doubled as a bit of a a fact-finding mission of epic proportions, designed to push the boundaries of electrified motorsport and to see how an EV handles the low temperatures. Unlike that recent big freeze that happened in the US that saw loads of EVs stranded, the GT4 e-Performance excelled. For the past 18 months, the GT4 e-Performance has been on a world tour, making stops at iconic locations like the Goodwood Festival of Speed before venturing across Europe, the US, and Asia before the time came to brave the frozen wilds of northern Finland for some seriously cool (haha) weather testing. Bfore hitting the icy tracks, the GT4 e-Performance needed a bit of a makeover so that it was more fit for the driving conditions offered up by the Arctic environment. The regular tyres used for high speed rack exploits were chucked and some legit spiked snow tyres were fitted. They’re chunky bois, and so to make sure things stay ok under the arches, long-travel suspension was added in. Some bespoke aluminium underbody protection was fitted underneath and the main air intake was blanked off. No, not that kind of intake, EV’s don’t need air, it’s a cooling channel and seeing as the car was in sub-zero temps already, it wasn’t needed and could be closed to keep all the snow, ice and general outside things out.

With the stage set, a select group of international motoring journalists joined Porsche's Richard Lietz, a Le Mans winner and Porsche factory driver, to put the GT4 e-Performance through its paces on a purpose-built ice circuit. As you can imagine, the results were nothing short of amazing. "Allowing journalists to drive the car enabled us to establish a dialogue with them, to learn about their expectations and emotional responses to the car," explains Oliver Schwab, the mastermind behind the GT4 e-Performance development program. But it wasn't just about the action and impressing the journalists so that they’d sing the praises of Porsche’s EV capabilities, the technical crew from Porsche used the event to record some helpful and relevant driving data, studying every aspect of the GT4 e-Performance in this unique setting. Despite temperatures plunging to minus 20, the car performed flawlessly, and was even able to prove many naysayers wrong when they were able to fully recharge the car is just 20 minutes. This meant the car was always ready to offer up peak performance. One of the impressive features of the EV is that a new, experimental feature was tested to be a success. Technicians were able to direct all the car’s EV power to the rear wheels so everyone could look like a drift king on the icy track with Scandanavian flicks being the order of the day. The response from those journalists lucky enough to be there (my contact details are easy to find - just saying) was overwhelmingly positive. BUt like honestly, would there really be any journo who didn’t like the car or the experience? Unpossible. "The GT4 e-Performance has demonstrated that we can create authentic emotions and real passion," says Schwab. "And that really motivates us for what lies ahead over the next few years." With a track record like that, the future looks brighter than ever for Porsche's electrifying vision of the future.

Take a look at the YouTube video that shows off some pretty wicked fun as the all-electric Porsche GT4 e-Performance unleashes a cool 800 kW of power on the Arctic terrain, kicking up rooster tails of snow and ice while keeping quiet enough to not scare the local wildlife. Not all EVs have a tough time in freezing conditions, in fact, this action is cooking: Arctic thrills: The Porsche GT4 e-Performance unleashed | Porsche

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Article Tags: News Electric EV Björn Förster Oliver Schwab Porsche Ice Experience SXdrv Testing Ice Snow Porsche GT4 e-Performance