As promised, Tesla has returned to the Nurburgring to continue development of its upcoming Model S Plaid while in the pursuit of a new electric sedan lap record.
Last month, Tesla triggered headlines around the world when it brought a pair of Model S Plaid prototypes to the German circuit in an effort to snatch away the electric sedan lap record from the Porsche Taycan. Additionally, it was a brilliant PR move from Tesla in order to ensure the Taycan didn’t dominate discussions in the world of electric vehicles.
Also Read: Tesla Says Model S Plaid Could Record 7:05 Nurburgring Lap Next Month
The two Model S prototypes snapped by our spy photographers at the track earlier this week benefit from a host of significant upgrades over all current production examples. Starting with the dark blue we can see that its nose is slightly different than the road-going Model S while there are also a set of flared wheel arches and a set of massive wheels and tires. Alterations continue at the sides where there are new air extracting vents behind the front wheel arches. Rounding out the modifications is a crazy rear diffuser and an enlarged trunklid spoiler.
The red prototype pictured is complete with the same modifications except for the diffuser.
It’s quite clear that Tesla is taking its Nurburgring testing very seriously and it seems inevitable that it will set some extremely fast laps. Last month, Tesla indicated a time of 7:05 could be in reach, approximately 15 seconds faster than the best lap reportedly recorded by a Model S Plaid prototype last month. With all the new aero, we wouldn’t be shocked to see the EV achieve that 7:05 lap, making it faster than supercars like the Nissan GT-R Nismo, Lexus LFA Nurburgring Package, and McLaren 600LT.
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