Tesla cars on the drag strip have become a common occurrence, but it appears like some people still believe their place isn't there. And just by looking at the cars, they're absolutely right: we're talking about either a seven-seats luxury sedan or an SUV with just about the same attributes.
But the fact they are performing so well in the standing start quarter mile races seems to annoy some of those who are yet to accept that the internal combustion engine we all know and love isn't exactly perfect. So they make beating the Teslas a mission of honor: they are there to protect the name of the suck/squish/bang/blow units and prove everybody that electric motors belong only in home appliances.
However, you'd think that these people, as backward as they are, would at least have access to the Internet and so they should know what they are going up against. The latest Model S version, the P100D, has been named the quickest production car with a 0-60 mph time of just 2.5 seconds. This one right here is "only" a P90D, but it can still reach that speed in about 2.65 seconds.
The driver of the Corvette Z06 had a whiff of an idea on what he was getting himself into because, as he called out the Tesla, he requested a rolling start. As we all know, the best thing Tesla's Ludicrous mode does is make sure the most amount of power is put on the road with zero wheelspin - something traditional traction control systems won't be able to achieve so effectively.
So the rolling start negates some of the advantages that the Model S would have, but is it enough? The Tesla driver appears not to be overly confident, even thinking about what his next step should be in case he lost. The first race ends with a smashing victory for the EV, but the Corvette Z06 driver isn't convinced. He asks for a rematch and is obliged.
Predictably given the huge gap in the first run, the winner remains the same, even though things were a little tighter this time around. In the end, the Tesla driver gets a little cocky and calls the two races "a waste of battery." Will that become a new saying 'round the drag strips in the following years?
"Boy meets car, boy loves car, boy gets journalism degree and starts job writing and editing at a car magazine" - 5/5. (Vlad Mitrache if he was a movie) Full profile
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