May 28, 2021
Exactly 70 years ago this Sunday the day on which the largest U.S. sporting-event crowd since the onset of the pandemic will assemble for the Indianapolis 500 a 14-year-old kid from suburban Cleveland headed west with his father to watch what was then called the 35th International 500-Mile Sweepstakes. Roger Penske and his dad were late arriving at the central Indiana home of the elder Penske’s business associate, for a prerace lunch, and everyone had already left for the track but before the Penskes headed out they took notice of a show car in the backyard. Roger pulled on a helmet, sat behind the wheel and posed for a photo.
WATCH: Tesla Model S Prototype Might Have Set New Laguna Seca Track Record
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There have been reports from Laguna Seca Raceway that Tesla has been spotted attempting to set a new EV lap record. The YouTube Channel, The Kilowatts, released unofficial raw footage of two new Tesla Model S sedans, possibly Plaid or Plaid Plus prototypes, doing high-speed rounds on the raceway.
The Kilowatts did a full video that shows the Model S set a new lap record at Laguna Seca. They filmed several laps and managed to compile two of the quickest laps recorded from the two test cars. The lap times are unofficial and unconfirmed.
Tesla Model S Plaid spied testing in Laguna Seca weeks before customer deliveries begin
Alvin Reyes - May 17, 2021, 5:28am CDT
Without question, the incoming 2021 Tesla Model S Plaid and Plaid+ are packing some crazy performance credentials. With three electric motors equipped with carbon-sleeve rotors, the Model S Plaid has a top speed of 200 mph, and it goes from zero to 60 mph in 1.99 seconds. It also offers an estimated 350 miles of range, not bad for a performance-oriented EV.
The Model S Plaid+ gets crazier, still. According to Tesla’s website, it has the same 200 mph top speed as a standard Plaid model, but it offers 520-plus miles of range while rushing from zero to 60 mph in under 1.99-seconds.
Some of our favorite pictures from testing today and yesterday at Laguna Seca Raceway #ModelSPlaidpic.twitter.com/DiWVnihCtD
Images shared to Twitter show that the prototype was rocking a rollcage in the rear. One particularly interesting aspect of the prototype is an adjustable rear wing that has been neatly incorporated into the decklid and pops up when needed.
Tesla claims that the flagship Model S Plaid+ will feature a trio of electric motors that combine to produce in excess of 1,100 hp. That won’t just make this the most powerful sedan in production but will apparently allow it to hit 60 mph (96 km/h) in less than 2 seconds (although this claim is questionable), and complete the quarter-mile in less than 9 seconds. What’s more, the Model S Plaid+ will apparently be able to hit 200 mph (320 km/h) and travel up to 520 miles (836 km) on a single charge.