Watch a Tesla Model S Beat A 600 HP Chevelle on the Drag Strip
Who wins in the battle of naturally aspirated V8 versus batteries? It’s surprisingly close.
There is no denying the Tesla Model S is a ridiculously quick sedan, but the car nerd in all of us secretly hopes for an old muscle car to show up an electric vehicle. And at Renegade Raceway in Yakima, Washington this past week ... well, we didn't quite get the result we were hoping for—but it was damn close.
As you can see in the video below, a Tesla Model S (battery unknown) goes up against a beautiful 1971 Chevrolet Chevelle allegedly pushing 600 horsepower. At first, the bruising Chevelle gets the jump on the Tesla, but after 100 yards, the Model S begins to fill in the gap, eventually passing the Chevelle.
The Tesla Model S just barely beats the Chevelle with a time of 11.36 (at 118 mph) versus the Chevelle’s time of 11.44 (at 113 mph). Neither time is anything to laugh, at but we're still disappointed the orange hunk of Detroit muscle didn't walk away with the win.