Ever since Tesla introduced the Ludicrous mode, the Model S has become a monster among amateur drag racers. That's because the P100D is the only car you can buy and race the same day that will do zero to sixty in under 2.5 seconds.
And it doesn't involve that much skill either. Sure, some people will argue that drag racing, in general, isn't the most demanding type of competition for the drivers, but let's not forget that some of these guys still have manual transmissions, or they don't have a computer that takes care of the launch on itself.
In the Tesla, it really is a case of stomping on the accelerator pedal (or "prissy" pedal, as South Park would call it) and doing your best to keep heading straight and not collide with the crash barriers on the side. Soon you'll even be able to let Autopilot do that as well, probably.
But even though Teslas have always been fast, they only became really fast once the P100D model was introduced. It uses the same architecture as the 100D with a larger motor on the rear axle and a smaller one on the front one. However, it's that "P" that makes all the difference.
The gap in the power output between the two is substantial. While the standard 100D gets a respectable 372 hp, the Performance version honors its badge with 612 horsepower. That's 240 hp more which, believe it or not, can only translate into just the one second in the 0-60 mph time.
Tesla has recently bumped the performance of the 100D via one of its updates while also introducing the "Chill mode," but we're not going to talk about that here. According to the author of this clip, the Model S 100D now reaches the target speed in 3.6 seconds, as opposed to the P100D which does it in 2.5.
But those are numbers, and while we have a very good idea of how long one second lasts, the real question is what does it look like in a drag race between the two? Well, the answer would be "pretty nasty." It's true that the more powerful car gets the jump in both of the races, but the actual ground difference is still overwhelming.
However, it's worth pointing out there's a $36,000 price gap between the two models as well, and that's enough money to buy a base Model 3. One that, you know, you'll get to drive sometime during 2019 by the looks of it. But anyway, in case you were wondering how does a 100D compare to a P100D, here's the answer.
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