Most auto brands testing new models at the Nürburgring choose to camouflage their vehicles to make them as inconspicuous as possible.
Not Denza. Instead, the premium Chinese brand has taken a new edition of its Z9 GT shooting brake to the infamous German public road course in a lurid aqua finish with dual orange racing stripes.
Mind you, even dowdy camouflage and a black paint job wouldn’t be able to disguise the modifications Denza has made to the Z9 GT for this as-yet-unconfirmed performance edition.
There’s an enormous swan-neck rear wing, while a radical aerodynamic package brings an almost comically large rear diffuser and various other extensions on the side, such as pronounced side skirts.
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The front-end may just be the subtlest side of this Z9 GT, though there’s a reshaped front bumper and a front splitter among other changes.
Denza could be looking to beat Porsche’s Nürburgring record for fastest production electric vehicle (EV), with the Taycan Turbo GT with Manthey Kit lapping the Nordschleife in a time of just 6:55.533.
It’s possible Denza will offer this performance flagship in its Chinese showrooms, giving it a rival for the Xiaomi SU7 Ultra with Track Professional package, which lapped the Nordschleife in 7:04.957. It produces total system outputs of 1138kW and 1770Nm from its tri-motor electric powertrain.
While we can see how Denza has changed the Z9 GT’s exterior, we don’t know yet what it’s done underneath.
The sleek shooting brake, due in Australia this year, is offered with both electric and plug-in hybrid (PHEV) powertrains.
Only an electric powertrain has been confirmed for Australia, with three electric motors – one 230kW unit up front, with two 310kW units at the rear – producing a total system output of 850kW and giving it a claimed 0-100km/h time of just 2.7 seconds.
We’d expect this new performance version, being referred to by some as the Xtreme, to produce even more power.
A massive 122.496kWh battery gives the electric wagon a total range of 820km, albeit on the more generous CLTC cycle.
In China, the Z9 GT is also offered with a 370kW single-motor rear-wheel drive electric powertrain, while PHEV variants use a 152kW turbocharged 2.0-litre four-cylinder petrol engine and a 200kW electric motor up front, plus dual 220kW electric motors at the rear for a total system output of 640kW.
They also have a 63.8kWh battery pack, providing 400km of electric range on the CLTC cycle.
The Z9 GT rides on the brand’s new e3 platform and includes advanced features like rear-wheel steering and a crab walk function.
It also has Denza’s DiSus-A air suspension, which together with advanced software is claimed to be able to manage a tyre blowout at highway speeds.
At 5180mm long, 1990mm wide and 1490mm tall on a 3125mm wheelbase, the Z9 GT is 206mm longer than the Porsche Taycan Cross Turismo, as well as 23mm wider and 78mm lower.
Denza also sells a sedan version of the Z9 in China, and this year it revealed a shorter sedan version called the Z9 S, which can be had with an 890kW tri-motor electric powertrain.