The emergence of high-performance electric cars over recent years has shaken up the car industry, so much so that we are now living in times where massive SUVs and sedans can be quicker than even the most powerful supercars.
Tesla’s flagship Model S Plaid has proven itself to be one of the most formidable EVs on the planet and just so happens to be one of the quickest-accelerating production cars ever developed. So, when Brooks from the popular DragTimes channel on YouTube headed to the drag strip in his Model S, he knew he’d have to find a very formidable foe in order to have a competitive race. That foe came in the form of an Audi R8.
Watch: $8M Bugatti Divo Seeks To Beat $0.1M Tesla Model S Plaid In Drag Race With Sheer Brute Force
The blue R8 in question is far from a standard one. In fact, the mid-engined German supercar’s 5.2-liter V10 has been supplemented by a pair of turbochargers meaning it is now pumping out 1,400 hp. That’s an extraordinary sum and gives the car roughly 400 hp more than the Tesla. Additionally, the Audi has all-wheel drive just like the Tesla and also weighs about 1,000 lbs (454 kg) less.
In the race held between the pair, it is the Tesla that gets the better launch thanks to its instantaneous torque and the tremendous levels of grip it has off the line. However, as the speeds started to build, the R8 put its extra power to good use and was able to sprint past before the finish line.
A look at the timing slip shows what the strength of each car is. The 60-foot time of the Tesla was 1.486 seconds while the Audi needed 1.560 seconds to cover 60 feet. The Tesla also edges out the R8 across 330 feet, running it in 3.968 seconds compared to the Audi’s 4.021 seconds. However, the tables turned after the 1/8th mile mark as the Audi completed it in 5.946 seconds whereas the Tesla needed 6.042 seconds. The Audi ultimately crossed the quarter-mile in 8.944 seconds at 161.61 mph while the Tesla needed 9.357 seconds.