With Great Power

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Hormazd Sorabjee is one of India’s most respected auto journalists. In a couple of months, he will complete 25 years as Editor-In-Chief of Autocar India. He has had a front row seat to the coming-of-age of the Indian auto scene- from Ambassadors to Audis and Padminis to Porsches.

In the past quarter century, he has had the opportunity to drive some of the finest cars in some of the finest locations in the world. Autocar UK, his magazine’s parent company, is a storied and highly reputable name. Plus, as India’s importance grows, auto manufacturers are eager to sponsor junkets to exotic places to showcase their best products, even if they are not offering them for sale in India yet.

Which is to say, Hormazd is no stranger to the savage power and acceleration of Ferraris and Lamborghinis. Yet, even he was caught off guard by the eye numbing torque of the Porsche Taycan Turbo S when he first drove it in Europe.

I’ve marked the video to the right timestamp, but in case it doesn’t work, skip to 2:00 and watch for 30 seconds. This is the reason electric cars are the future, at all price points.

Why are we discussing a 4 year old car review? This is the exact model that a drunk teenager was driving when he mowed down two people in Pune. Hormazd, who does this for a living, found the car’s power unbelievable. And he was sober while driving it.

Even setting aside the ₹2 crore price tag, what gave a father the confidence to let his underage son drive a beast of a car like that? My guess: intoxication of a different kind.