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Drag racing looks easy, and in its most basic form, it is. Line up next to other cars, step on the gas, and hold on. Barring some kind of mechanical failure, the process will get you to the finish line. There are other factors that make the process more difficult, but they can help you reach the finish line first.
As for this video, it’s safe to assume the Tesla Model S Plaid has a distinct horsepower advantage over the competition. This is a 1,020-hp car that can reach 60 mph in about 2 seconds on road tires. We’ve seen it quietly outperform everything from muscle cars to supercars, and now you’re probably wondering if it was beaten by the Mustang Shelby GT500 or the Dodge Charger Hellcat also featured in the clip. That would be a neat plot twist, but we won’t even try to cover up the outcome. Tesla won, by a lot. But that’s not what makes this race interesting.
In short, we’d really like to have mind-reading skills for this fight. Both Mustang and Charger drivers made some terrible drag racing mistakes that make us wonder if Tesla screwed up their heads. The first race was with the GT500, the previous generation model which we believe at least sported hefty racing tires at the rear. The driver got a great launch and completely outperformed the Model S, but things fell apart when shift 1-2 completely fizzled out. It’s a short eight-mile race too, and if the GT500 doesn’t falter, it will be a very close finish.
The Charger Hellcat appeared for the second race, which was a full quarter-mile track. Neither car experienced burnout, which isn’t a problem for the all-wheel-drive Tesla. But the cold rear tires on the Hellcat – even the road tires on a prepared surface – have all the appeal of wet soap on a treadmill. The light goes green, the Tesla takes off, and the Charger, well, no. We hear the V8 roll up, then roll back down, and finally, the super sedan rolls off. It finished nearly four seconds behind the Model S, so yeah, lesson learned there.
We can’t help but wonder if these two drivers are a little excited next to the Tesla. With adrenaline pumping, mistakes do happen on the track. Add the possible loss of internal combustion V8 power to electric cars (a concept some car enthusiasts can’t understand) and the race could be lost before it even started.
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