Techart GrandGT in the test

N after the test with five lightweights each falls below 1,050 kilos It is literally difficult to even begin to approach a vehicle with a total weight of 2,081 kilograms. Even if the pounds of a Porsche Panamera Turbo do not really delight, the Porsche tuner Techart is arousing new interest in the four-seater Porsche series with a lifestyle wide body called the Grand GT.

Porsche Panamera Turbo is growing at the tuner

The soft Panamera lines are history - the tuning interpretation is much more distinctive and muscular. Various body parts are responsible for the successful lifting, including painting and assembly, which cost around 44,000 euros, almost as much as a basic Porsche Boxster. Thanks to the attached wheel arches, the Techart GrandGT grows 42 millimeters on the front axle and 84 millimeters on the rear. Above all, the otherwise buxom Porsche Panamera rear end now looks a bit crisper thanks to the rear paneling with a hint of a diffuser, optically indicated air outlets and a fixed rear wing with gurney.

Open the door and taste it: Discreet lounge character instead of Versace pomp - the interior of the Techart-Porsche Panamer Turbo is much more reserved, but no less exclusive. A three-spoke steering wheel with paddle shifters, red decorative stitching, red seat belts and aluminum pedals, otherwise black leather dominates the interior. Anyone who wants to shell out more than the 10,000 euros estimated in the GrandGT test car for the interior design can get almost everything at Techart - from wacky leather knick-knacks with wild marbling and red carbon fiber inserts to large roof sky screens, through some suburban cinemas would be happy.

Techart GrandGT with 580 PS and 830 Nm

Spot on - under the carbon bonnet of the Techart GrandGT with eight cooling air outlets, the V8 biturbo blows to attack what is in the best shape The Porsche Panamera Turbo press vehicle being tested. The Techart performance package, known internally as TA 070 /T1, increases the maximum engine output from 500 to 580 PS and to 830 Newton meters of maximum torque at the push of the sports button (series: 700 Nm). According to Techart, the PDK should withstand the 130 Newton meters of extra torque permanently - wildly flashing transmission warning lights appeared, unlike in many a performance-enhanced Porsche 997Turbo derivative with dual clutch transmission, did not appear in the one-week test phase of the Techart GrandGT.

The launch control also works perfectly in the tuned Porsche Panamera Turbo. The GrandGT all-wheel drive shoots off like a catapult like a jet on an aircraft carrier with minimal slip on the rear axle. Techart promises 3.6 seconds from 0 to 100 km /h and 12.5 seconds up to the 200 km /h mark. Dirty expressions when looking at the sport auto measuring device: After repeated sprint starts on the most varied of asphalt surfaces, the Techart GrandGT can indeed use the production model (0-100: 4.1 s, 0-200: 14.5 s) just hit, but with 4.0 seconds to 100 km /h and 13.7 seconds to 200 km /h clearly missed the promised information of the tuner in the test.

Two-ton from the tuner in 3.8 seconds to 100

Techart asks you to try again a few days later. During the unscheduled pit stop, the engineers worked hard to improve the coordination of the engine electronics. In the second attempt, the Porsche Panamera Turbo can actually show off the tuner in terms of longitudinal dynamics. Final result of the acceleration measurement in the test: 3.8 and 12.4 seconds. With two tons of live weight, such sprint values ​​require respect. 'We have optimized the torque curve again,' explains Martin Schmidt, technical manager at Techart, afterwards.

Techart GrandGT in 1.13.5 minutes around Hockenheim

Change of scene. While the over two-meter-wide GrandGT bomber moves as sedately as a Russian billionaire's yacht between sailing dinghies in narrow city traffic, the Techart Panamera Porsche Turbo, like the production car, revs up refreshingly on winding country roads and the racetrack. Similar to the Nissan GT-R (1,784 kg), the Porsche Panamera Turbo also provides incredible transverse dynamics despite its weight. With an unchanged chassis and a slightly wider track using spacers, the Techart Grand-GT also scores with direct steering behavior, neutrality and good traction. With a Hockenheim lap time of 1.13.5 minutes in the test, it undercuts the already fast production car for a two-tonner by two tenths of a second. Conclusion: GT good!