Tesla Model S V. C7 Z51: A Driver's Race?

Jack Baruth
by Jack Baruth

Aren’t you sick of reading everywhere about how fast modern cars are? Sure you are. Aren’t you sick of seeing electric sedans run heads-up against the newest Corvette? No? Well then, this is the video for you.



Let’s get this out of the way: although both cars run twelves, the Corvette is faster both times in pure beam-to-beam ET, and it slaughters the Model S P85 in trap speed. Still, this is remarkable for a few reasons. The first reason is that you can buy an electric sedan that runs close to a Corvette. The second reason is that you can buy an automatic transmission ‘Vette that runs flat twelves, looks high-quality both inside and out, and will probably last as long and as well as the typical Camcord.

These are great times to be a car guy. Aren’t you sick of reading that, too?

Jack Baruth
Jack Baruth

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  • Suspekt Suspekt on Jan 30, 2014

    What this video tells me is.... the Model S P85 will outrun 99% of cars in normal driving scenarios... especially out of a dig and up to speed limits.... Just think about this video. Elon might just unveil a 100kwH battery pack that CAN BE retrofitted to existing Model S cars.... minimal labour cost and a boost to both performance and range

  • Too bad there is nowhere you can actually legally exceed 100 mph in Anerica besides a track. The Performance model is only good for a 1/4th mile race and torally unnecessary.

    • See 2 previous
    • This Is Dawg This Is Dawg on Jan 30, 2014

      @burgersandbeer He did mispell America. Maybe he's been drinking nitro again?

  • CJinSD CJinSD on Jan 30, 2014

    The Tesla Model S has something else in common with the Corvette. It has joined the Corvette as a high performance car most often seen glued to the slow lane on the highway. The theory for why Corvettes reside there has always been that the drivers are on their last license point or that cops take a special glee in nailing them for speeding. For the Model S, it is a matter of range v. speed. San Diego has to be one of Tesla's best markets, so I see them every day. I've yet to be passed by one, or to have caught one on the freeway with a speed differential of less than 20 mph. They're driven in the manner of the first Prius's, hypermiling in the name of not running out of juice. http://www.teslamotors.com/blog/model-s-efficiency-and-range While the graph on Tesla's site gives a good correlation of the effects of keeping up with traffic on range, it is worth reading the conditions they modeled for, as they are not remotely-real world for the purpose of exaggerating the car's capabilities.

  • Charliej Charliej on Jan 30, 2014

    Remember that the Tesla is a second generation car from a tiny automaker. By the time it gets to generation seven, like the Corvette, it should be a very nice car in all respects. Also, people are criticizing the buyers of these cars. It it were not for "early adopters", no new technology would ever succeed. It takes trial and error to perfect any technological advance. Will electric cars ever be "better" than internal combustion vehicles? Probably, but it will take time and effort by the electric car companies. The internal combustion engine has come so far in the past few years, but there is a limit on how far it can go. The electric car has more potential for improvement than the gas powered car.

    • Dr. Kenneth Noisewater Dr. Kenneth Noisewater on Jan 31, 2014

      Model S is their first-gen designed totally in-house, the Roadster was a Lotus roller with a Tesla drivetrain.

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