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Article Highlights:

  • The Tesla Model S Plaid shows just how fast it really is
  • Not even a Porsche 911 Turbo S can beat the Model S Plaid
  • EVs continue to dominate drag strips everywhere

If you’re in a hurry, we’ll save you some time. Tesla fast. EV fast. There. That’s really all you need to know. However, should you want to know how a Tesla Model S Plaid stacks up against a Porsche 911, two 1,100 hp Nissan GT-R’s, and another Model S Plaid, read on. We all know the Plaid is a drag race machine, but for you visual learners, this certainly puts any doubts to rest.

A Tesla Model S Plaid is faster than a Porsche 911

A white Porsche 911 Turbo S shot in profile on a back road
Not even the Porsche 911 Turbo S can compete | Martyn Lucy via Getty Images

The first contender in ThrottleHouse’s video is the Porsche 911 Turbo S. Short of the Taycan, it’s the fastest thing with a Porsche badge you can buy from a dealer. It only needs 2.2 seconds to get to 60, and produces 640 hp and 590 lb-ft of torque through all four wheels. Critically, all 590 of those foot-pounds are available as early as 2,500 RPM. Even with all that torque to all those wheels, the Tesla Model S Plaid consistently flogs the 911 Turbo.

However, it is a noble effort from Stuttgart. In the first seconds of each drag race, the 911 is almost dead even with the Plaid. That’s something that can’t be said for either of the Nissan GT-R contenders brought to the race. Unfortunately for the Porsche, that’s about as close as it gets to beating the mighty Tesla EV. Obviously, EV power has proved that it’s more than a match for Germany’s fastest.

Not even an 1,100 hp Nissan GT-R can beat the Tesla

A silver Nissan GT-R shot from the front 3/4 in front of a tree in a display booth
Godzilla itself: The Nissan GT-R | Anusak Laowilas via Getty Images

But what about Japan’s? People don’t call the Nissan GT-R “Godzilla” for nothing. These cars are a staple at the drag strip, and, as the car in the video illustrates, can produce insane power. While there isn’t a great deal of information given, both GT-R’s in the video are said to produce around about 1,100 hp. For reference, that’s about 80 more horsepower than the Tesla Model S Plaid’s 1,020 hp. However, the real deciding factor is the weight (and reliability).

ThrottleHouse didn’t provide any further information on the GT-R, and we didn’t get a look at the interior to confirm whether or not it was still in place. However, a current R35 Nissan GT-R weighs 3,850, a far cry from the Plaid’s 4,816 lb curb weight. Despite the weight advantage, the GT-R loses by a full car and a half from a standing start, and the transmission barely survived the roll race, despite it looking like a handy win for the Nissan GT-R’s.

The Model S Plaid EV is called “plaid” for a reason

A blue Tesla Model S Plaid EV, shot in motion from the front 3/4
The Tesla Model S Plaid | Tesla

It seems that the only way to beat the Tesla Model S Plaid, as James from ThrottleHouse put it, is to bring a gun to a gunfight. So, in the end, the only thing that could beat the TEsla was another one, sans interior, resulting in a 200 lb weight advantage. For the time being at least, EVs will continue to dominate the drag strip, to the benefit of Tesla owners everywhere.

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Chase Bierenkoven

Chase Bierenkoven has been obsessed with cars his whole life and now finds joy in sharing what he’s learned from his own daily drivers. Chase earned a Bachelor of Science in Criminal Justice and Criminology with a focus on legal studies from the Metropolitan State University of Denver and quickly became an automotive journalist. When he isn’t writing, Chase is either driving his passion project, a 2004 BMW M3 in Carbon Schwartz Metallic, or playing around Colorado’s terrain, mainly mountain biking and skiing.