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The Tesla Model S Plaid Was Finally Beaten In A 1/4 Mile Run. But it’s not what you think
The ballistic EV has now met its match and this might just be the easiest way to take down the mighty Plaid
by Khris Bharath, on LISTEN 04:45By now, you already know that the Tesla Model S Plaid is mega when it comes to taking on the ¼ mile. Ever since it went on sale earlier this year, this humble family sedan has been annihilating the competition for the sheer performance that it offers.
The guys at Throttle House, up in Toronto also wanted to see what the Plaid was all about. To take on the Plaid, they had some top crop gas-powered greats at their disposal. A tuned Nissan GT-R and the 2021 Porsche 911 Turbo S. Let’s see how things pan out. All cars taking part in this show-down feature all-wheel drive.
Round 1 - Plaid vs Turbo S
On their first pass, the guys decided to re-create a real-life situation. Say you pulled up at the lights in your new Model S Plaid and you find yourself next to a Porsche 911 Turbo S. You’re obviously not going to have eight minutes to heat up the batteries. So the pair decide to have an impromptu duel instead. So with that, the guys give it the beans, and the cars are neck and neck after they launch.
However, the Porsche got caught as it was shifting up and the Plaid just pulled away and had this one in the bag. So here you are, this is the Plaid’s out-of-the-box performance from the factory.
Round 2 - Plaid Cheetah Mode vs Turbo S
For round two, the Tesla was given enough time to warm up its batteries. This time around, the EV was set to drag strip mode and it drops a couple of inches as it takes its low slung cheetah stance.
With that, it’s go time, and to be honest, it’s no competition this time around either. It comes as no surprise that Tesla just blew the Porsche away from the get-go. The 911 Turbo S, in its own right is an outrageously quick car, regardless, the guys at Throttle House are truly baffled by the Tesla’s performance.
Round 3 - Plaid vs GTR
So a stock Turbo S couldn’t really do much against the Model S Plaid. But what about a tuned GT-R? This particular fiery-red example seen here has enough mods on it, that it produces 1000 horsepower to the wheel.
Now when it comes to doing ballistic launches, these two are legends in their own right. Although, when the hammer drops, its the, not the Nissan but the Tesla that’s in the lead. The GT-R sounds mega and everything, but the Plaid is just building on that Lead as the race goes on. It clinches the win easily. The ICE cars seem to be losing time while going through the cogs. On the Tesla though, with no gearbox to worry about the EVs surge is relentless.
Round 4 - Plaid vs GTR (Roll Race)
To give the GT-R a fighting chance, the Model S takes on the Nissan in a final roll race. The pair hammer it down the runway once again, and for brief moments, Godzilla even took the lead, however, the tuned car gave up too soon and the Tesla walked home to take the win. So a definitive win then for the Plaid then right? Well, not quite.
Bonus Round - Plaid vs Plaid
In a final bonus round, they bring along yet another Tesla Model S Plaid, but this one’s different. They’ve taken the seats out on this white example in a bid to shave off a few extra pounds. Let’s see if that makes a difference.
The white car is allowed to warm up its batteries and has about 85% state of charge. The black one meanwhile has about 60% and before you know it the guys are ready for the ultimate showdown of the day. Go!!! Both drivers are pinned to their seats and are doing warp speed in no time. They gun it down the runway. While it was a close launch, the lighter weight of the white car did start to play in its favor and it eventually went on to take the win.
To Sum It Up
So, there you have it, the way to beat the Model S Plaid is to bring along another one with the extra seats taken out. Jokes aside, the only other car to have taken down the Plaid was the Rimac Nevera. While that is a purpose-built EV hypercar, the Model S Plaid is a humble family sedan that you can take to Walmart.
Strangely, the guys admit that’s it’s not the way that the Plaid launches that’s surprising, but it’s actually how it builds power. Weighing in at a shy under 5000 lbs and with a short runway, one of the scariest ordeal that the guys at Throttle House had to contend with that day, was bringing the Plaid to a stop, especially since the surface that the guys were racing on was far from perfect.
Source: Tesla Model S Plaid vs 911 Turbo S vs 1100 WHP Nissan GTR // DRAG & ROLL RACE
