The Tesla Plaid Channel is all about showing how the electric car's instant power and torque are a close match for some of the most powerful muscle cars today. Most of the time, the Tesla Model S Plaid has a clear advantage. However, at the drag strip, it is anyone's guess who will win due to the cars' modifications and driver skill.
In his latest at the Bradenton Motorsports drag strip, our host will be taking on a more than 1,000-hp Chevrolet Camaro ZL1 and promises some of the closest racing he's ever done.
The Modifications To The Tesla Are Light
The Tesla Model S Plaid driven by our host is a 1,030-hp monster. The car has the rear seats and rear material removed for weight reduction. It runs on the stock, but proven, Pirelli P Zeros on 19-inch wheels. He tells us that both front seats are still in place along with door panels, airbags, speakers, and subwoofer.
The Camaro Has Extensive Work
The 2018 Camaro ZL-1, like the Tesla, is a 9-second car. To achieve this, the car houses a 1,000+ hp (at the wheels) 6.2-liter V8 with a 2.6-liter blower. This pushes through a TH400 transmission and onto some extra wide Mickey Thompson drag radials which our host tells us "wrinkle on takeoff" since they're running on a low 15 psi. Scott, the owner, tells us that he also has Menscer Motorsports suspension on all four corners.
The Race Towards The Finish
The Tesla pulls up behind the Camaro at the 56-second mark. Our presenter says that this is the fourth race against the 9-second cars of the night but the first time against the Camaro. He tells us that he has been closely watching the Camaro since he's consistently been in the lower 9-second spectrum and assumes it will be the closest race of the evening.
The Camaro pulls into the left lane while and performs a quick burnout. The two take off on the green with the Tesla receiving the better reaction time of 0.074 while the Camaro gets a 0.080.
The two race down the strip neck and neck finishing with a time of 9.421 seconds at 143.96 MPH for the Camaro while the Tesla just barely scrapes a win with a 9.200 at 150.35 MPH. So it's quite clear that even a 6.2-liter V8 with over 1,000 hp is still not enough to beat the electric beast that is the Tesla Model S Plaid.