Watch Every Modern Tesla Vehicle Drag Race the OG Tesla Roadster
If you enjoy the sound of RC cars racing flat-out, you’ll love this.
It's no secret that Tesla has been king of the quarter-mile for quite some time; even if watching the petite electric motor hammer a gasoline-powered machine is a conflicting feeling, to say the least. Pitting electric against electric, however, is something we don't get to see very often. So, when half-a-million dollars worth of Teslas zip down a stretch of pavement racing each other, it sure catches our attention.
A YouTuber recently picked up an original Tesla Roadster (like the one Elon Musk launched into orbit) to park next to his family's range-topping Model X P100D. Naturally, he wanted to see how the automaker's old technology stacked up against the mighty SUV. He gathered together a matching Model S P100D and a brand new Model 3 Performance, pitting the automaker's entire lineup of performance cars against the wee Lotus-inspired Roadster.
What happens next is clear: only one Tesla can be crowned king.
Now, there were some unknowns in this race. We're not sure what distance was covered by the cars, nor if they all had the same amount of charge, or if they were modified in any way. Regardless, the results were fairly unsurprising.
If you've watched the video, you know that the Model S took first by a long shot. Next came the Model X, followed closely by the Model 3, and finally, the little Roadster made its way across the finish line. The Model 3 Performance keeping up so well with the other vehicles is quite surprising, as the little electric sedan will boogie from zero to 60 miles per hour in an advertised 3.5 seconds (real-world testing by some outlets showed as quick as 3.3 seconds). The Model S in Ludicrous mode 0-60 in 2.2 seconds, though it wasn't mentioned how the Model S launches.
The fact is, we're only on the cusp of a future filled with electrified performance variants of our favorite vehicles. With the insane instantaneous torque produced by electric motors coupled with improvements through torque vectoring and other technologies, our daily cars are becoming insanely quick. And as an equal opportunity enthusiast, I love it.
