Elon Musk "stinged" or is it not? At the end of last month, in anticipation of the launch of its first tram, Porsche revealed the time reached by the Taycan in the “green hell”, the legendary Nürburgring circuit.
the reached time of 7min42s it's respectable — despite the four-wheel drive and 761 hp and 1050 Nm, it's always 2370 kg (US) on the go!
After the official presentation of the Porsche Taycan, where we were also present in Neuhardenberg, near Berlin, it didn't take long for Elon Musk to react to Porsche's new proposal, indicating that the Model S would be at the Nürburgring the following week:
Model S on Nürburgring next week
— Elon Musk (@elonmusk) September 5, 2019
No sooner said than done. Tesla is effectively on the Nürburgring circuit, having also reserved a place for the days dedicated to industry, when the track is closed so that manufacturers can test their future products… but not to measure lap times. These days it's possible to find a little bit of everything there — even the new Defender was in tests at the Nürburgring.
But challenging Porsche in its “backyard”? Porsche is a constant presence on the German circuit, not only to test its models, but also to establish times with its sportier models that end up becoming the references for everyone else — experience is not lacking…
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With the new Taycan it is no different. If we take away the absolute record of the Volkswagen ID.R competition prototype, and that of the rare Chinese super sports car NIO EP9, Porsche claims for itself the title of having the four-door electric fastest in “green hell” , and that's what, we think, interests Tesla.
It's not easy to get cannon times on the Nürburgring — remember this story between the 911 GT3 RS and Corvette ZR1? — and you certainly wouldn't expect Tesla to simply get there with a Model S and beat the time of the new Taycan — we've seen the Model S's difficulties on circuit in preparation for the (delayed) E-GT championship, overheating at the end of a lap and a half.
A later tweet from Elon Musk ended up bringing some water to the boil, noting that they don't wait anytime around this week of testing, indicating they need to “tune up” the Model S to move quickly and safely in “green hell ”, mainly by the Flugplatz (aerodrome) section:
But we probably won’t try for best lap time this week, as we need to review & tune Model S thoroughly for safety on the Nürburgring, especially Flugplatz section
— Elon Musk (@elonmusk) September 11, 2019
After all, what was Tesla doing at the Nürburgring?
If there is no quick turn to be measured, after all what did you go there to do? It's just that they didn't take one, but two Tesla Model S. One of them doesn't seem to be more than a regular gray Tesla Model S, but with some distinct details, such as a larger rear spoiler. Watch the video from the Automotive Mike channel:
But it's not that Tesla Model S that's catching attention, but the other prototype in red:
As you can see, this prototype differs much more from the “regular” Model S. You can see wheel flares, a more pronounced rear spoiler, distinctive wheels wrapped in high-performance Michelin tyres, and in more detailed images, you can even see carbon-ceramic brake discs (according to Car and Driver).
There is another detail that denounces this Model S as something more than just a “racing special”. On the rear we find the P100+ designation, an unknown version of the current Model S — and haven't they recently been renamed Performance?
1/3…Yesterday I spotted @nico_rosberg at the Frankfurt motor show and asked him if he will be trying a lap in the Model S at the Nurburgring. he said that he and @Tesla are “still in discussions”. This Model S with roll cage was spotted near the Nurburgring today… pic.twitter.com/IJ4TKdqGKT
— Paul Maric (@PaulMaric) September 12, 2019
After all what is it about? Apparently, this “artillated” Model S is the new high-performance variant of the electric, known, for now, as Model S "Plaid" (checkered fabric). Weird name? Like the term Ludicrous, Plaid is a reference to the movie Space Balls, a satire on Star Wars — in the movie Plaid is even faster than Ludicrous…
And to be even faster than a Model S Ludicrous Performance, the king of drag races, the Model S "Plaid" comes equipped with three electric motors, instead of two. But to beat a record at the Nürburgring, or any other circuit, it's not enough to go straight ahead, you have to bend, brake and preferably have some negative lift.
And not forgetting the ever-sensitive issue of thermal management of batteries, which is precisely where Porsche has invested heavily, enabling the Taycan to offer long-term high performance — a characteristic inherent in any Porsche, regardless of the powertrain.
Latest pics, folks! They are a giant set of carbon ceramic brakes! Plus extra changes to the rear wing. Will post a link to a more detailed story shortly. pic.twitter.com/EWWhB0Tkd5
— Paul Maric (@PaulMaric) September 12, 2019
A theme that must not have escaped Tesla's engineers during the development of “Plaid”. To demonstrate the potential of the new machine, Tesla recently announced that it has achieved the fastest lap at the Laguna Seca circuit in the United States of America.
The prototype got a time of 1min36.6s, beating the previous time of 1min 37.5s achieved by the Jaguar XE SV Project 8. The proof? Watch Tesla's video:
Of course, if there is a Tesla Model S with a chance of chasing the record for the new Porsche Taycan, it will have to be this Model S “Plaid”. When will we see this model unveiled? We do not know.
Nor do we know if and when Tesla will try to beat the Porsche Taycan record, although there is some information that advances to the date close to September 21st.
Launching a "hardcore" version of the Model S with a record in "green hell" to accompany it, would be the icing on the cake, don't you think?