The Tesla Model S P100D is one fast car. When it comes to instant torque and 0-60 mph acceleration, there are very few cars that can compare. This has made the Model S P100D almost unbeatable in a drag strip, with the family sedan being able to beat performance cars on an almost consistent basis. That is, of course, until recently when an ICE vehicle finally defeated a P100D, and in a dominating manner at that.
The race, which involved a Tesla Model S P100D racing a McLaren 720S , was recently posted by DragTimes, a YouTube channel dedicated to motorsports and other automotive topics. The video, which featured three races between the Tesla and the McLaren — two from a complete stop and one from a rolling start — depicted the ICE supercar completely decimating the EV, even with the P100D’s Ludicrous Plus Mode.
Over the course of the three races, the Model S P100D’s instant torque could still be seen, with the family sedan taking an early lead in all three rounds. As soon as the McLaren 720S shifted its gears, however, the EV was quickly and soundly left in the dust. In the 0-100 mph race, the McLaren was almost a full second ahead of the Tesla , which finished the run at 6.52 seconds, according to a report from The Drive .
Commenters on the race video marveled at the speed of the McLaren supercar, with many remarking that the race almost made it seem like the Tesla was a slow vehicle. After all, considering that the EV holds the record of being the fastest production car in terms of 0-60 mph times, the performance of the McLaren 720S was indeed astounding.
“(The) 720S makes the Tesla P100D look slow, and the P100D is not slow lol,” wrote one commenter.
https://www.instagram.com/p/BV25ZO3Aoxm/?taken-by=mclaren_720s
Nevertheless, many EV fans were unperturbed by the loss of the mass market EV to the European supercar. Many Tesla fans, for one, noted that the Model S P100D is a massive, heavy family vehicle that could seat as many as seven people, while the 720S is a true-bred, two-seater supercar from top to bottom.
“I thought this would never happen. Finally, a two-seater internal combustion super-car beat a four-door, five-seater electric sedan with loads of trunk room and over 300-mile range,” wrote one commenter.
“Luxury family sedan vs. a race car. It’s like stealing candy from a little kid and boasting about how much better and stronger you are than the kid,” wrote another.
Apart from this, the price of the two cars is also on completely different levels, with the McLaren starting at around $290,000 and the Model S P100D costing roughly $140,000. Thus, while the Tesla was soundly beaten by the McLaren monster, the fact that the two cars are not even in the same class still shows just how well-tuned and admirable the Model S P100D really is.
In a lot of ways, the McLaren was the undisputed winner of the race against the P100D. If the race had gone longer, the 720S would have extended the distance between itself and the EV, since the European supercar tops out at 212 mph while the American-made family sedan is software-limited to 155 mph.
https://www.instagram.com/p/BM5GxOWDOHd/?taken-by=teslamotors
Regardless of its loss, and considering the fact that EV fans do not seem bothered at all by the win of the McLaren 720S, the Tesla Model S P100D continues to be the poster child of the electric car community — at least until Tesla reveals a next-generation Roadster.
Watch the American family sedan take on the European supercar in the video below.
[Featured Image by Tesla ]