You've seen the bonkers Tesla Model S Plaid in action. On a drag strip, it has few rivals when it comes to factory stock performance. Capable of mid-to-low nine-second passes in the quarter-mile, even built race cars have a tough time keeping up. But what about other Model S trim levels?
A new video from DragTimes reminds us that, when it comes to Tesla, speed is relative. The Model S Plaid's official 0-60 mph time is 1.9 seconds, but the Model S Long Range featured here is still capable of reaching that mark in under four seconds. Specifically, telemetry installed in the sedan shows a time of 3.2 seconds on the prepped surface of Atco Dragway in New Jersey. That's enough to battle many notable high-performance machines, including the BMW M5 Competition and C7 Chevrolet Corvette Z06 featured in this showdown.
The Bimmer isn't stock, either. Specific modifications aren't mentioned, but the owner claims it has over 800 horsepower (597 kilowatts). It certainly sounds mean, but all that power leads to traction issues in the first of three races. The M5 is forced to lift while the Tesla powers forward to a 10.92-elapsed time (ET), reaching 129 mph. It's a different story for race number two, with the M5 driver scoring a great reaction time and launch to earn a very close win despite a slightly slower ET. Race number three is the deciding factor in this battle, and we'll let the video tell that story.
As for the Corvette, things aren't quite as exciting. It's a 2016 Z06 that appears to be stock with 650 hp (485 kW) under the hood. If the 800-hp Bimmer was a challenge for the Model S, it would seem the Z06 doesn't stand a chance. However, the 'Vette is much lighter, and Chevrolet's official stats for the 2016 Z06 have it turning a high-10-second quarter-mile. As such, it should be a close race and the first pass doesn't disappoint. The Corvette runs 10.93 at 125 mph, slightly faster than the Tesla's 10.98-second pass. However, the win is awarded to the Model S because it was nearly 0.3 seconds quicker off the starting line.
Sadly, that's all we get in the Tesla-versus-Chevrolet showdown. Something causes the Z06 driver to lift early in the second pass, and there is no third. To be continued? Perhaps we will see a rematch in a future video.
