Tesla Model S Plaid equipped with the Track Pack set a new record for the fastest lap time of a production electric car at the Nürburgring in Germany, more than 8 seconds faster than the previous record for the Porsche Taycan Turbo S.
The Tesla Model S Plaid’s lap time of 7 minutes 25 seconds 231 milliseconds (7:25.231) is reportedly second only to supercars like the Ferrari Enzo and Mercedes-Benz SLS AMG Black Series. The Porsche Taycan Turbo S broke the Tesla Model S Plaid’s fastest electric car lap record set a year ago with a time of 7 minutes 33 seconds last August. Now, Tesla has reclaimed that honor.
The reason why the Tesla Model S Plaid was able to dramatically improve its performance at the Nürburgring is that, in addition to the Track Pack boost, there is one other detail worth noting, and that is the steering wheel. As you can see from the full video released by Tesla, the record-breaking Tesla Model S Plaid did not use the original Yoke steering wheel, but replaced it with a traditional round steering wheel. This may suggest that Tesla recognizes that a round steering wheel is more appropriate and safer than a Yoke steering wheel when driving on a track.
The Track Pack is an option for the Model S Plaid that includes forged aluminum Zero-G wheels, track-ready Goodyear Supercar 3R tires, a carbon-ceramic brake package that includes silicone discs, one-piece forged calipers, high-performance brake pads and track-specific brake fluid. In addition, the Track Pack kit unlocks the Model S Plaid’s 200 mph (approximately 322 km/h) top speed.
The Tesla Model S Plaid is said to be one of the fastest production electric cars on the market, with three electric motors, a total output of 1020 horsepower, 0-60 mph (about 96 km/h) acceleration time of 1.99 seconds, and a range of 390 miles (about 628 km). The car is currently priced at RMB 1,028,900 in China.
