Hurley Haywood Takes The Taycan Turbo S Cross Turismo Up Pikes Peak

The Pikes Peak International Hill Climb Grand Marshal samples the most powerful Porsche Cross Turismo variant on the famous hill climb

The Grand Marshal for the 2023 Pikes Peak International Hill Climb was five-time winner of the 24 Hours of Daytona, three-time winner of the 24 Hours of Le Mans, and two-time winner of the 12 Hours of Sebring, Hurley Haywood. As Grand Marshal, one of his responsibilities was to take a Porsche Taycan Turbo S Cross Turismo up the mountain for an exhibition run.

“That was a first for me, and a lot of fun. I was not getting close to what the car was capable of, but it was a lot of fun and required some recalibration on my part. Normally, when you’re at those altitudes, you expect reduced performance, but – of course – the thin air didn’t affect the Taycan at all,” said Haywood. “It didn’t put a wheel wrong – I could actually feel the clever rear axle steering doing its job – it made the Taycan cut right through all the tight switchbacks. It made me want to have another go – but push a bit harder this time!”

The Taycan Cross Turismo features a powerful 800-volt powertrain, allowing exhilarating performance. It embodies the ideal combination of cutting-edge technology, blistering performance, and everyday usability.

Pikes Peak International Hill Climb has a long-standing tradition of attracting top-notch drivers and highlighting innovation in the automotive industry. Combining the event’s rich heritage with the presence of Hurley Haywood and the Porsche Taycan Turbo S Cross Turismo was a natural connection.

The Taycan Cross Turismo itself is no stranger to the mountain – one of America’s highest accessible points – having completed a 1,400 mile journey ending at Pikes Peak previously which began at one of the lowest elevations in the US – the bottom of a mine – travelling between the two to achieve a Guinness World Record for the greatest altitude change set by an electric car.

…notes from SP