During the Industry Pool at the Nürburgring I have filmed the Tesla Model S doing some laps on track. (To bad only twice..)
Elon Musk has just shed more light into the aggressive Model S that was spotted yesterday near the famous German track. Apparently, it’s a ‘chassis prototype’ fitted with their new ‘Plaid’ powertrain, which will sit above the existing 100D with the Ludicrous mode in the model’s range.
Tesla’s CEO also said that the red car with the wide arches is fitted with seven seats, adding that they are gunning for the fastest seven-seat car record.
This could be Tesla indirectly admitting that they can’t beat the Porsche Taycan outright on the Nurburgring, where the latter holds the title of the “fastest four-door electric sports car”, according to Porsche.
A similar prototype managed to break the record for the fastest four-door sedan around Laguna Seca, beating the Jaguar XE SV Project 8 by nearly a second with a 1:36.555 lap. However, the company doesn’t claim that record, as track officials were not present during Tesla’s test.
The new ‘Plaid’ powertrain features three electric motors, instead of the two in the P100D “Ludicrous”. Musk opted for these names for Tesla’s powertrains as a reference to Mel Brooks’ classic Spaceballs movie.
More details about this new powertrain will be announced soon, with the company saying that they will offer it in the Model S, Model X, as well as the new Roadster, but not in the Model 3 or Model Y. Musk also said that the final production examples of the Plaid-powered Teslas are still a year away from launch.
As for the Model S ‘chassis prototype’, our spy shots show that it’s been fitted with larger wheels, stickier tires and the necessary wider fenders to cover them, as well as a new lip spoiler for the tailgate. Upgraded brakes and new suspension settings are also present, while our spies, who spotted the car again today doing its first laps, told us that the car was fitted with a roll cage as well (obviously, for safety reasons).
Yesterday’s report said that Tesla might attempt its Nurburgring lap record on September 21, while Germany’s Auto Motor und Sport confirms the same date and adds that the EV maker has booked a second slot on September 25.
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