The Tesla Model S Plaid is one of the quickest production cars currently on sale and in ideal conditions, can run down the quarter in a blistering 9.2 seconds.
Sure, the Model S Plaid may look quite unassuming from the outside but its three electric motors combine to pump out no less than 1,020 hp. It is also all-wheel drive and is able to hit 62 mph (100 km/h) in the low 2-second range. However, not even that was enough to take down this Audi R8.
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Hoonigan is currently working on its latest season of ‘This vs. That’ and while previous seasons have starred Ken Block’s famed Ford Mustang Hoonicorn, this particular season will star the Plaid. Its first challenge was an Audi R8 but not just any R8 but one that has been fitted with a pair of turbochargers that lift power to 1,700 hp.
Remarkably, the internals of the R8’s 5.2-liter V10 have been left untouched but it does sport a host of gearbox upgrades to support the extra power. It has previously run a 7.9-second quarter mile but the runway used by Hoonigan for its races isn’t conducive to such times.
In the first race and with the R8 turned down to around 1,200 hp, it rocked off the line and as the speeds continued to build, easily out-ran the Tesla, beating it by a number of car lengths. Eager to make a closer race, the Tesla was given a two-car head-start for the second race while the R8 was turned up a notch to 1,450 hp. With the extra grunt, it screamed past the Tesla yet again, taking an even more comfortable victory and showing just how much power you need to comfortably beat a Model S Plaid.