First the quarter-mile, and now another Laguna Seca record has allegedly tumbled.
The new Tesla Model S Plaid is one of the most ballistic sedans in the world. With three electric motors and all-wheel drive, Tesla claims it ll reach 60 mph in under two seconds and go on to a top speed of 200 mph. The slower Model S Performance already set a new quarter-mile record a year ago at 10.4 seconds before a stripped-down Lucid Air managed a 9.245-second time last September. A new report from Drive Tesla Canada indicates that the Plaid just set a blistering new quarter-mile time and this, together with another Plaid s recent Laguna Seca Raceway lap, indicates that Tesla is chasing two speed records.
(Photo: Tesla)
Tesla is planning to launch a new performance version of the Model S later this year, and its secret weapon for maintaining performance and stability at high speeds has been revealed on the race track.
As Electrek reports, Tesla is set to launch the Model S Plaid and Plaid+ at some point between August and September this year. As well as featuring an all-new interior, the performance figures are off the charts. The Plaid promises to hit 0-60mph in 1.99 seconds and enjoys a top speed of 200mph with peak power rated at 1,020hp. That s all while still managing a 390 mile range. The Plaid+ takes performance a step further and will do 0-60mph in under 1.99 seconds while extending the range to over 520 miles.
Car enthusiasts across the country are looking forward to Monterey Car Week in California, the Amelia Island Concours d’ Elegance in Florida, and The Bridge in the Hamptons, so gear up no matter which coast you’re on.
1984 Dodge Daytona Turbo Z Gets Serious about Performance
From the Archive: Adding a turbo to Dodge s Daytona sports coupe results in America s first legitimate front-wheel-drive muscle car.
From the July 1983 issue of Car and Driver.
The guys at Chrysler have been telling us they were going to do it. In fact, they ve been telling everyone within earshot, from congressmen to Wall Street bankers, that the new G24 sports coupe would stop the heart of the American car enthusiast. And now, months later, after one of the most well-orchestrated examples of pre-production tub-thumping seen in the car business in recent years, it appears the Chrysler guys are right. They ve done it: the G24 is so hot it will scorch your throttle foot. This new sport coupe is the first bona-fide all-American front-wheel-drive muscle car.
Elon Musk didn t understand what Mark Frohnmayer was building. Frohnmayer is the founder of Arcimoto, a Eugene company that makes lightweight electric vehicles that just might be as revolutionary for Oregon and the world as Musk s Tesla. Strangely enough, they knew each other before either was famous. A decade ago, they car-camped together in the California hills with a mutual friend, Adeo Ressi, CEO of the Founder Institute. Back then, Musk was a mere multimillionaire running a money-losing electric car company, and Frohnmayer was the scion of an Oregon political family who had a few bucks in his pocket and the crazy idea to build two-passenger, three-wheeled, doorless EVs in Eugene, Oregon.