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Tesla Model 3 vs. McLaren 720S Drag Race Deserves a Tweet

You know how Elon Musk twitted about the Model S being faster than a "$500,000 Lamborghini"? Well, he's probably going to watch this video too, because it features a $50,000 Molde 3 going up against a $331,000 McLaren 720S.
Tesla Model 3 vs. McLaren 720S Drag Race Deserves a Tweet 2 photos
Photo: YouTube screenshot
This is an underdog story if ever we saw one because McLarens are flipping legendary when it comes to acceleration. They are all super-light and somehow deliver amazing traction off the line despite never having all-wheel drive. We've even seen how the 720S delivers slightly more power than officially claimed.

Honestly, if the Model 3 can beat this V8 monster... no, it can't. Who are we kidding here? It's the entry-level model with a less powerful engine and only rear-wheel drive. It's built to be affordable and green, not beat supercars.

Of course, the 3er does offer surprising levels of performance. Drag Times says the electric sedan makes 280 rear wheel horsepower and 552 lb-ft of torque with no gearbox. That's less than half the power of the McLaren.

In the drag race video, you'll see the 720S flying towards the horizon at incredible speed, becoming a small spec in the Tesla's camera after just a few seconds. It wins by 2.89 seconds and has a trap speed of 140 miles per hour, by which point 95% of the cars on the road wouldn't keep up.

But if you think about it, this also means that the Model 3 might keep up with an average V8 pony car or a hot hatch. It does the quarter mile in 13.58s at 102 mph.

How quick will this car be when they come out with the twin-motor AWD version or start offering Ludicrous mode. Will that also make it very expensive? We saw that with McLarens too, as the current entry-level 570S model is about as expensive and fast as the early MP4-12C.

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About the author: Mihnea Radu
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Mihnea's favorite cars have already been built, the so-called modern classics from the '80s and '90s. He also loves local car culture from all over the world, so don't be surprised to see him getting excited about weird Japanese imports, low-rider VWs out of Germany, replicas from Russia or LS swaps down in Florida.
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