Tesla beats Porsche to reclaim ’Ring record
A Tesla Model S Plaid equipped with its new Track package has lapped the Nürburgring Nordshleife in seven minutes, 25.231 seconds to claim a new EV record.
Green car honors at the Green Hell have been passing between the US company and its German rival Porsche ever since a Taycan toured the circuit in seven minutes and 42 seconds in 2019. Tesla took its Model S Plaid to Germany in 2021, knocking almost seven seconds out of the Taycan time, then Porsche returned in 2022, tweaking the Taycan Turbos S with a performance kit to help deliver a lap time of seven minutes and 33 seconds, or just over two seconds ahead of Tesla.
Beat previous record by >8 seconds! pic.twitter.com/BLtZV9WGYM
— Tesla (@Tesla) June 3, 2023
Now Tesla has turned the tables once again. Fitted with its Track package, comprised of forged aluminum wheels with uprated Goodyear Supercar 3R tires, and carbon-silicon carbide disc brakes, with six-piston front, and four-piston rear calipers, plus software tweaks, the Model S Plaid ran rings around Porsche, with a sizeable eight-second improvement.
The Track package also gives the Model S Plaid a top speed north of 200 mph for the first time, now that it has the stopping power to cope. “Designed for the ultimate track experience, the Model S Plaid Track Package delivers high-speed stability, maximum cornering force and repeatable stopping power during high-performance driving while unlocking a top speed of 200 mph,” says Tesla.
We’re sure it won’t be long before Porsche fights back, but in the meantime, Elon and Tesla are celebrating. On Twitter of course.
***
Check out the Hagerty Media homepage so you don’t miss a single story, or better yet, bookmark it. To get our best stories delivered right to your inbox, subscribe to our newsletters.
Well done Elon! Bring the Porsches down a peg or two.
Nice to see a significant time victory! Good on an American company!
I’d love to know how much battery life these laps used.
Gary: Here is one data point – 3 laps in a Model 3, so call it ?36? miles?
https://www.ringfreaks.de/cars/tesla-model-3-p/#:~:text=With%20a%20full%20charge%20of,carry%20on%20doing%20fast%20laps!
Congrats to Tesla but it sure is weird watching lap without any reviving engine.
The fast time is incredible but I’d rather have a slower car with character.
Tesla using racing slicks on these cars, Porsche used street tires. Put racing tires on the Porsche and it will destroy the Tesla
Lap Record for a Porsche 919 hybrid is in the 5 minute range, which none of the grossly overweight electric vehicles will come close to in the next decade or two!!!!
I wonder how fast the Tesla’s 10th lap was…?????
I’m with Gary. The cars are bland and lack character as well as identity. And never put your life in the hands of a chip. It takes a tremendous amount of energy to create the lithium batteries as well as other aspects of the driveline. The car is a hoax.
I’m also with Gary and Maestro1. The Tesla is incredibly fast and that’s without a doubt. The problem with the Tesla is it’s a soulless tool with very little actual style and or charisma, other than the fact you can generate electronic fart noises on demand. I find it hard to get excited about a Tesla, any Tesla. To me Tesla’s are an effective commuter car but carry a price tag that most people can not justify. In Canada I can buy a chargeable hybrid Toyota Prius for my commute ($50k), a GTi for my play toy ($36k) and a Mazda CX-30 for the wife ($35k) all for less than the basic Tesla S which starts at $123k. That’s why I agree that owning a Tesla is more about hype than excitement or value.