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This Model S Plaid completed quarter-mile in 9.081 seconds, thus beating Jay Leno’s record run from a month back
by Sidd Dhimaan, on LISTEN 05:12The Tesla Model S Plaid is the talk of the town these days and it needs no introduction. It is the fastest production car and has been dominating drag strips all around the globe. From spanking the Nissan GT-R’s ass to obliterating a Porsche Taycan Turbo S, the only real competition it has faced so far was from a remote control car!
To further cement its legacy as the quarter-mile king, the Model S Plaid has beaten its own record within a couple of months of setting a record. This time, it recorded a time of 9.081 seconds! The way it’s going, this record might also be broken soon.
The World Record Quarter-Mile Run In The Model S Plaid
The Tesla Model S Plaid set the world record on July 24 at the World Wide Technology Raceway in St. Louis. The Plaid, finished in Midnight Silver Metallic shade, sprinted to the quarter-mile finish line is 9.081 seconds with a trap speed of 154.10 mph. This car broke the record set by Jay Leno in June and the one by DragTimes that was nearly identical to Leno’s time. While folks are trying to better the times to the third decimal, this bloke broke the record by 0.166 seconds, which is a significant difference in the grand scheme of things!
Jay Leno’s Record Gets Broken Within A Couple Of Months
Jay Leno had announced on his podcast back in June that he took the Model S Plaid to the drag strip and recorded a time of 9.247 seconds at 152.16 mph. This was a week before Tesla officially debuted the Model S Plaid. At the debut, Tesla released some official specs and claimed that the EV can complete the distance in 9.23 seconds at 155 mph. Although a figure on paper, it gave us a hint that Jay Leno’s record might not stay for long… and that exactly happened.
DragTimes Called It And Went After Jay Leno’s Record
Brooks Weisblat from DragTimes commented on CNBC’s YouTube video with Jay Leno “I’m coming for the record Jay!” and he got quite close to it. He took his red Model S Plaid to the Orlando Speed World Dragway for some hot sprints. The car was brought in a trailer to maintain maximum charge. When they unloaded the car, it had 98-percent state-of-charge. Brooks and his friend Gidi took turns to run the Model S Plaid and managed to do seven runs in total, with the best quarter-mile time being 9.248 – just 0.001 seconds slower than Leno’s time. The trap speed for this run was 151.83 seconds.
All the parameters, like 0-60 mph, 0-100 mph, top speed, quarter-mile times, etc. were obviously different every single time, but here are the best times the Model S Plaid managed to clock:
- 0-60 mph – 2.01 seconds
- 0-62 mph – 2.11 seconds
- 0-100 mph – 4.19 seconds
- 0-150 mph – 9.17 seconds
- Eighth-mile – 6.01 seconds at 120.22 mph
- Quarter-mile – 9.248 seconds at 151.83 mph
Tesla Model S Plaid Highlights
For the uninitiated, here are some specs and features of the Tesla Model S Plaid:
- Based on the Model S
- Features a tri-motor setup
- Produces 1,020 horses combined
- 0-60 mph in 1.99 seconds
- Quarter-mile run in 9.23 seconds with a trap speed of 155 mph
- Top speed of 200 mph
- World’s most aero-efficient car - Drag coefficient of 0.208
- An estimated range of 390 miles
- Supports fast charging up to 250 kW and can add 187 miles of range in 15 minutes
- F1-inspired, yoke steering wheel
- 12.3-inch digital instrument cluster
- 17-inch touchscreen system
- Screen for rear passengers that offers PS5-level performance
- Starts at $129,990
On a different note, the EPA-estimated range is slightly better than what Tesla had announced initially. As mentioned above, the company claimed a range of 390 miles on a full charge, but the website now lists the EPA-estimated range at 396 miles.
Final Thoughts
9.081 seconds - this is the record time, but for how long? It is much better than the time even Tesla claimed. Given how Leno’s record was broken in less than two months, do you think this one will also last a short while, or will it be unbeatable for a long time to come? Share your thoughts with us in the comments section.
