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Porsche Built An EV So Fast It Doesn’t Even Need A Road
- A boat equipped with a Macan Turbo Electric powertrain has set a new speed record.
- The Frauscher x Porsche 850 Fantom averaged 49.84 knots at a race in Monaco.
- Porsche teamed up with Austrian boat builder Frausche to create the 8.7 m craft.
Porsche has already set plenty of speed records with its EVs, including a 1 minute 33.8-second lap of Road Atlanta achieved last month by a Taycan Turbo GT. But the latest ride from Weissach to set a record did it while moving around half as quickly as that Taycan – just 57 mph.
The record-setting EV in this case wasn’t a Taycan or any Porsche electric road car, but it is equipped with the same duel-motor powertrain you’ll find in the brand’s Macan Turbo Electric. It’s the Frauscher x Porsche 850 Fantom sports boat and it just wasted a field of rivals at the Monaco Energy Boat Challenge.
Related: Porsche’s Latest EV Is A $600,000 Boat With A 536 HP Macan Turbo Powertrain
Measuring 8.67 m (341.3 inches) long, the wheelless Porsche is the result of a joint venture between the Stuttgart sports car company and Austrian boat builder Frausche. It pairs the hull shape of Frausche’s 858 Fantom with the motor setup and battery from the hottest Macan EV.
Compared with the SUV, which claims 577 hp (584 PS / 430 kW) in normal use and up to 630 hp (639 PS / 470 kW) with launch control overboost, the boat is slightly less potent. It makes 536 hp (544 PS / 400 kW), and while the Macan can hit 162 mph (260 km/h), the boat maxes at around 56 mph (90 km/h / 49 kn) in Sport Plus mode. That’s what Porsche’s spec panel says, at least, though the Fantom averaged 57 mph (92 km/h / 50 kn) in the Monaco race which takes an average of two 1 km (0.6 miles) runs.
Range is another area in which the boat has to give second best to the Macan. It’s good for just 62 miles (100 km) at slow speed and 28 miles (45 km) at its optimal 26 mph (41 kmh / 22 kn) cruising speed, whereas the SUV can go for 367 miles (590 km) per the WLTP cycle.
The record-setting Oakgreen Metallic Fantom was what Frausche calls a Runabout, meaning it has a classic look with the close foredeck and cabin below. But buyers also have the option of speccing the boat in Air configuration, which brings a center-mounted wheel and open lounge area at the front. It looks stunning but so it should: at €571k ($664k) it costs around five times more than a Macan Turbo Electric.
