Tesla recently brought a “chassis prototype” of a new Model S with a “plaid” powertrain that will probably be chasing the Porsche Taycan’s four-door electric vehicle lap record at the German circuit.
Now, according to chief executive Elon Musk, the second-generation second-gen Roadster will also be taken to the Green Hell, but not until 2020.
Tesla has never been all that fussed with lap times simply because it doesn’t need to spruik impressive times on racetracks to sell cars. However, Musk’s quick response to the Taycan’s record suggests the car manufacturer is embracing the fact that ‘Ring lap times are a useful marketing tool, especially when it comes to high-performance cars.
It all started when, after Musk tweeted out his plan to bring a Model S to the ‘Ring, tech Youtuber Marques Brownlee suggested the automaker also bring the Roadster. Musk responded by saying “next year.”
Next year
— Elon Musk (@elonmusk) September 11, 2019
If Tesla is to bring the second-generation Roadster to the Nurburgring, it could also further hone the car at the German track in addition to the rest of its development schedule. After all, an electric hypercar like the Roadster will need to be fast around a racetrack to compete with its upcoming rivals like the Rimac C_Two, Pininfarina Battista, and Lotus Evija.
The fastest time ever recorded by an electric vehicle around the Nurburgring is the 6:05.336 set by the Volkswagen I.D. R a few months ago. However, that vehicle is a dedicated racer that bears no resemblance whatsoever to anything street-legal, and the electric production car record is still held by the NIO EP9 that posted a 6:45.9, even though it remains unclear just how many examples of it have actually been built.
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