Just a couple of weeks after the Rimac Nevera electric hypercar broke a total of 23 records in a single day of driving, the rise and rise of the EV continues with a Tesla Model S Plaid breaking the record for the quickest Nürburgring Lap in a production electric car.
The first thing you’re likely to notice in the video above is the car’s devastatingly silent acceleration, punctuated only by the screaming of the tires through corners and the soft warbling of the wind. By the end of its lap, the record was lowered to 7:25.231 – eclipsing the previous mark set by a Porsche Taycan Turbo S last year by more than eight seconds, and showing once again that Tesla is making some of the best cars in the world right now.
For a little comparison on just how quick that time is, non-EV cars in that ballpark include supercars such as the Mercedes-AMG SLS and the Ferrari Enzo. While the car was a production vehicle that anyone can buy, it did feature what’s known as the Track Pack, which you’ll have to shell out an extra US$20,000 (AU$30,200) for to enjoy speed-focused features such as a new carbon ceramic brake kit and “peak performance” firmware.
Perhaps unsurprisingly, the Model S Track Pack is already sold out, despite Tesla only making it available to owners on Sunday. For 30,000 of your hard-earned dollars, owners will also get a set of 20-inch “Zero-G” wheels and Goodyear Supercar 3R tires, so you know you’re burning high-quality rubber as you set your own local lap records.
With the Nürburgring lap record returned to the Tesla fold, we’ll have to wait and see what other benchmarks the Texas-based EV maker will set its sights on next.
