When Tesla finally launched the Cybertruck pickup to customers late last year, it shared a video of the electric pickup demolishing one of the most legendary sports cars—the Porsche 911—in a drag race. The kicker? The Cybertruck was also towing a trailer with another 911 strapped to it.
From a marketing perspective, the stunt was awe-inspiring. It proved once and for all that electric propulsion is not to be messed with. And it showed that the long-delayed Cybertruck may have been worth the wait.
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The Tesla Cybertruck has arrived
After years of delays, the Tesla Cybertruck is finally out on U.S. roads. So far, the only versions available cost $100,000-$120,000.
"It can tow a Porsche 911 across the quarter mile faster than the Porsche 911 can go by itself," Tesla CEO Elon Musk said during the Cybertruck's launch event in November.
But was this actually possible—or just more smoke and mirrors from Musk? The folks at MotorTrend recreated the race to find out. You can watch the outlet's full video and breakdown below.
The short answer is: No, a Cybertruck towing a 911 can't beat even the slowest 911 in a straight line. Tesla pulled a few tricks to make it appear otherwise, MotorTrend said.
The outlet ran six quarter-mile races, which the 911 Carrera T won each time.
Shortly after Tesla posted its original video, Jason Fenske of the YouTube channel Engineering Explained determined that Tesla actually ran the race on a 1/8-mile strip without making that clear. (Tesla copped to that after the fact).
MotorTrend ran a handful of 1/8-mile contests too, and found that the Cybertruck sometimes won. But, comparing both vehicles' best times still yielded a Porsche victory. It's also worth noting that, when comparing drag times, almost every manufacturer and enthusiast talks about the 1/4-mile contest, which has long been the standard. Opting for a 1/8-mile race without disclosing it suggests that Tesla knew it couldn't keep up in the longer, standard format.
So that means the Cybertruck is slow, right? Not quite. The high-performance Cybertruck Beast can rip to 60 mph in 2.5 seconds. However, MotorTrend proves that the Cybertruck isn't quite as spectacular as Tesla will have you believe.
Got a tip? Contact the author: tim.levin@insideevs.com.
