We all know about the Tesla Model S Plaid and its surprising performance – when it got released and started to wow with its acceleration there were many drag race videos to showcase its speed against more exotic supercar machinery.
Nowadays, it's one of the fastest production cars to ever grace the drag strip; with a 0-60 mph time of under 2 seconds it’s faster than most things.
Italian hypercars like the Ferrari Enzo have low weight, tons of power and F1 technology: we see whether it’s enough to see off the competition from the Tesla Model S in this series of races courtesy of YouTube channel Petersen Automotive Museum.
The Tesla Model S Is Faster Than Most Things On The Strip
Petersen Automotive Museum is an awesome place and resource for learning about iconic cars and racers, but in this video they explore the power of a modded Tesla Model S – a car which got its upgrades from Unplugged Performance.
In this case, it’s a Tesla Model S-Apex, a car which sports among other things, a complete carbon fiber widebody aerodynamics package, custom Nürburgring-developed performance suspension and brake upgrades, bespoke tailored luxury interior with the finest materials and craftsmanship, and ultra-lightweight forged widebody-spec wheels with titanium lug nuts.
According to the video it also has a satin gray exterior with Serrano red Von Holzhausen vegan Banbū Leather™.
It goes up against the Maserati MC12 and Ferrari Enzo which both feature 6-liter V12s, with around 620 hp for the MC12 and 650 hp for the Enzo, both engines being ostensibly the same unit.
Racing A Tesla Model S Against Supercars: Predictable Outcomes
As we see, the Model S-Apex is pretty fast – faster than almost anything else you can buy to 60 mph at least.
With a standing start the Tesla obliterates any other car including the MC12, so in the second race the Maserati gets a 40 mph rolling start advantage, though it still only narrowly beats the Model S which is like a rocket on the asphalt.
When the Ferrari Enzo gets a rolling start it also fails to beat the Tesla Model S, and in the case of an all-out rolling start the Enzo beats the Tesla only by a car length.
At the end, a surprise visit from a more modern Ferrari F12, a 6.3-liter V12-powered monster with 731 hp hopes to beat the Tesla in a straight-up race; in the end only a 2-second head start for the F12 keeps it competitive and even then it narrowly loses the race.
It used to be that there was no replacement for displacement, but nowadays, there’s just no replacement for instant-torque electric powertrains.