Don't you just wish these Teslas would finally decide what they want to be so we all could get on with our lives? Are they family-oriented vehicles? Are they drag racers? Are they racing cars? Are they all the above?
Well, no, they're not, but if you want just the one car that'll acquit itself at least decently in all these situations, then you probably won't find a more suitable choice. I know this is bothering a lot of car enthusiasts, but Elon Musk's company has truly produced a series of excellent machines, even though build quality might still be lacking here and there.
Out of all possible racing types, the instant torque, the clever traction control, and the absence of gearing make Teslas best suited for some drag strip action. But coming up shortly behind would be Autocross. Yes, the technical nature of these tracks makes the lumbering EV seem like a bad choice, but don't forget most of that mass is concentrated down below. That translates into god-like handling, provided you have good enough tires to maintain grip.
Need proof? You'll find it within the first few seconds of the clip (that's if you ignore the nearly three minutes of promotion at the beginning) when Brooks of Drag Times tells us about the recent promotion the Sports Car Club of America gave the Model 3 Performance. This brought the battery-powered sedan in the same class as the Porsche 911 GT3, which is a bit funny, but also kind of worrying. For all GT3 owners, I mean.
Just as a reminder, the 911 GT3 comes with a 4.0-liter flat-six engine developing 500 hp and 339 lb-ft (460 Nm) of torque while being able to rev all the way up to 9,000 rpm. If you sniff a whiff of motorsport, you're not wrong: the unit is derived from Porsche's 911 GT3 R and Cup racing cars. That's a serious piece of kit on any kind of racetrack.
As the fact they now sit in the same class would suggest, the two vehicles are pretty closely matched. What isn't, though, is the two drivers in this clip. We mean no disrespect to the 15-year-old driving the GT3 and we're sure he's not nearly as inexperienced as his age might suggest, watching the clip makes it clear he's no match for the guy in the Model 3. Or, who knows, maybe it's the car that makes it seem like the latter is gliding so effortlessly over that obstacle course? You decide, but we sure would have liked to see the drivers swap cars and do a few laps in this configuration.
(The action starts at 7:33, if you're feeling impatient)
"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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