1,100 HP Tesla Model S Plaid Set to Be World’s Quickest Production Car
Elon Musk’s first sub-two-second EV tops out at 200 mph and drives itself.
Tesla’s recent Battery Day event saw CEO Elon Musk announce a “Plaid” variant of the Model S that’s every bit as fast as the second-generation Roadster.
The successor-in-name to Tesla’s first-ever production vehicle was promised to be the quickest production car ever made, thanks to a 1.9-second zero-to-60 mph time. The Model S also promises to be a sub-two-second car, meaning it will essentially tie the Roadster for superlative acceleration.
The super-EV boasts other impressive specs, including a sub-nine-second quarter-mile time and 1,100 horsepower. These upgrades are possible thanks to the Model S Plaid’s tri-motor all-wheel powertrain, as opposed to the dual-motor AWD powertrain that’s used in the Model S Long Range Plus and Performance models.
That’s everything new listed on Tesla’s online configurator. CNET’s Roadshow reports that the Tesla team set a time of 1 minute, 30.3 seconds at Salina’s Laguna Seca circuit, which is on-par with the world’s fastest production vehicle. That suggests that the Model S Plaid is going to be brilliant on both the drag strip and the track.
The Tesla Model S Plaid starts at $134,490 before options like 21-inch carbon-fiber wheels ($4,500), an upgrade from all-black to a black-and-white or cream interior ($1,500), or Autosteer on city streets ($8,000). Tesla’s Autopilot system, which enables autonomous steering, acceleration, braking and automatic driving on the highway, comes standard.
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