Tesla Model S Plaid has captured the title of the fastest production EV to lap the legendary German racing circuit Nürburgring, which goes on to show that the four-door BHEV is a lot more than straight-line acceleration. Late Thursday, Elon Musk announced on Twitter that an “unmodified” Model S Plaid has set a lap time of 7:35.579 around the Nürburgring Nordschleife, setting a new record for production electric cars. The lap record was previously held by the Porsche Taycan that had lapped the circuit in 7:42 back in 2019. However, it’s important to note that Porsche’s attempt wasn’t officially conducted and was not recognized by the Nürburgring authorities.
The 7:30 lap time is related to the slightly shorter course which doesn’t include a straight that measures 230 meters. The 7:35.579 timing was later officially announced by Nürburgring along with confirming that it was driven by Swedish racing driver Andreas Simonsen. Tesla even uploaded the onboard footage from the record-setting lap, which is surprisingly free of drama. Although, the Tesla Model S Plaid appears to understeer at many of the corners, which is expected as the EV has all-wheel drive. Simonsen can also be seen coasting on some of the long straights, which could to be cool down the battery and conserve power.
Tesla has been testing at the Nürburgring for quite a while now. A Model S Plaid even crashed earlier this month, which might be attributed to pushing the EV to its absolute limits. The Porsche 911 GT2 RS with an upgrade kit from Manthey Racing currently holds the record for the fastest production car to lap the Nürburgring. It lapped the 12.8-mile (20.6-km) course of the Nürburgring in 6:38.835 minutes, making it almost a minute faster than the Tesla. However, it’s unreasonable to compare the two as the Tesla is a heavy four-door sedan. In comparison, the Model S Plaid is very close to competitors like the Porsche Panamera Turbo (7:29.81 minutes) and the Alfa Romeo Giulia QV (7:32.00 minutes), which is very impressive. Will Porsche respond by finally setting an official lap time with the Taycan? Let’s hope so.
