We've been here before. Everyone knows that Teslas with Plaid power – be it the Model S or in this case, the Model X – are silent-but-deadly at the drag strip. Barring full-on race cars built to dominate the strip, what does it take to win against one? In stock trim, there are just a few hypercars up to the challenge and a 2021 Porsche 911 Turbo S isn't one of them.
However, the Turbo S featured in this DragTimes video isn't stock. Listed as having an engine tune with upgraded turbos, intercoolers, and more, it's said to make 910 horsepower at the wheels. That easily translates to over 1,000 hp at the crankshaft, which is a significant jump over the 640 hp you'd normally see from the boosted 3.7-liter engine. And of course, that goes to all four wheels through a quick-shifting eight-speed dual-clutch gearbox.
Meanwhile, the Tesla Model X Plaid is unmodified. In this instance, that still means 1,020 hp courtesy of three electric motors and a beefy battery pack that, for these passes, starts at a 94-percent state of charge. In short, there should be no tech-related excuses for either driver winning or losing.
For the record, we aren't going to spoil any of the three runs in this video because they're that good. Actually, we will spoil the second run as the Porsche driver didn't catch a shift quickly enough, causing him to lift early on. But for the rest, take a look at these numbers and see if you can guess the winner before watching the clip.
Run number one was a legit photo-finish nailbiter. The elapsed times and speeds were 10.00 seconds flat at 140.9 mph versus 9.92 at 142.9. That's a difference of just eight-hundredths of a second, but before you draw conclusions, know that there was a one-tenth of a second difference in reaction time at the start. In other words, the car running the faster time may not be the one that crossed the finish line first. It was that close.
We already discussed race two, which leaves us with the final run. This time, both drivers had closer reaction times – .181 to .110 – but the difference on the other end of the track was notably larger. One driver improved significantly, running a 9.56 @ 144.9 mph to a 9.96 at 140.8 in the other lane.
Any wagers before clicking play? Otherwise, sit back, relax, and enjoy some properly exciting drag racing action.
