Yes, it is not at all difficult to guess who would win a drag race between the new 2021 Tesla Model S Plaid and the older 2020 Tesla Model S Performance. This year’s flagship versus last year’s flagship. It should be obvious. However, the two didn’t race over a quarter mile here, but rather a 1/8 mile, which made this a much closer affair than one might anticipate.
Now that you know the distance, let’s run through the numbers really quick. The 2020 Tesla Model S Performance has a dual motor setup combining for a maximum output of 778 horsepower and 841 lb-ft (1,140 Nm) of torque. It is a ridiculously quick car, by any standards.
Engaging Ludicrous mode will see you rocket to 60 mph (97 kph) in around 2.3 seconds, so on paper, it’s still faster to 60 mph than something like a Porsche Taycan Turbo S. As for the quarter mile, it needs about 10.4 seconds to cover, which is still extremely impressive.
The thing is, it’s not as impressive as the brand new 2021 Model S Plaid, with its 1,020 hp and 1,050 lb-ft (1,420 Nm) of torque, courtesy of a tri-motor setup. According to Tesla, it will hit 60 mph in just 1.99 seconds, before blasting the quarter mile in a record 9.24 seconds. Some have even taken it into the 8-second range, but only by stripping it of its passenger seat and using performance-oriented wheels and tires.
Knowing all those things, we were curious to see how the Plaid and the Performance compare over a shorter distance, and this recent 1/8-mile run really clarified things for us.
Spoiler alert – the Plaid won by a little over half a second, which is actually quite a gap when dealing with such a short distance. It was also doing roughly 119 mph (191.5 kph) when it crossed the line, as opposed to the Model S Performance which couldn’t break the 100 mph (161 kph) barrier.
Sergiu got to experience both American and European car "scenes" at an early age (his father drove a Ford Fiesta XR2 supermini in the 80s). After spending over 15 years at local and international auto publications, he's starting to appreciate comfort behind the wheel more than raw power and acceleration. Full profile
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