The hand-timed run was only one second off from yesterday.
Tesla has yet to officially announce a lap time around the Nürburgring, but they have ran incredibly fast unofficial times, as spy photographer Stefan Baldauf caught in our latest spy photos. Today’s run was only a second off yesterday’s run, resulting in a 7:24 lap time. Tesla seems to be running two modified Model S prototypes out there. The red one, reportedly packing the company’s new “Plaid” triple-engine drivetrain set down the fastest time. According to Baldauf, the blue car set a much slower time today, at 7 minutes, 40 seconds.
What’s particularly interesting is that only a safety cage, driver’s seat and dashboard remain in these record-running cars. Since Tesla made the “record-breaking” run yesterday, Porsche fired back with their response. They set their 7:42 run using a standard Taycan Turbo, and not the faster Turbo S. So, the Taycan may yet win the final battle in this war for the electric sedan record.
What’s hiding underneath these Model S Plaid prototypes? Exactly how much power it puts down remains a mystery. However, it’s safe to say these cars are massively quicker than even the current Model S Performance. It’s crazy to think in those terms, since the current Model S is already stupid fast. When Tesla does announce its official, verified record time, we’ll likely see more in the way of performance figures follow.
For now, these spied runs at the record show Tesla, with test driver Thomas Mutsch at the wheel, is consistent with its lap times. Even though we’ve yet to see the final time, it stands to reason Tesla won’t be far off these first runs at the record.
Correction 9/18/19: The headline originally said the Tesla Model S ran a 7:23 time. It actually ran a 7:24 lap time, according to our source.
