Source: Tesla
It’s not every day that a two-and-a-half ton electric car with optional seating for seven rolls up to the drag strip and challenges the most powerful American car to a race. It’s an even rarer day when the electric car wins. But this week, a video showing the new Tesla Model S P85D humiliating a 707 horsepower Dodge Challenger Hellcat has surfaced, bringing a silence to the electric car nay-sayers once and for all.
The P85D is proof that Tesla is serious when it comes to performance. Aiming for speed comparable to the iconic McLaren F1 super car, Tesla has done what few other automakers could do: Shoehorn a 221 horsepower motor into the front of their Model S to aid the already potent 470 horsepower rear motor. The result is a 691 horsepower all-wheel drive beast that can silently humiliate some of the world’s finest cars on the street.
Top speed is limited to 155 miles per hour (which is probably for the best), but from 0-60, you might be surprised by the company the P85D can beat in a short sprint. Just set the acceleration to “Insane,” stomp the gas, and hold on for dear life.
Source: McLaren
1. McLaren F1
Two decades have passed since McLaren unleashed the million-dollar F1, a street-legal race car with a top speed of over 200 miles per hour that instantly became the standard for super cars ever since. Surprisingly, Tesla founder Elon Musk has said the F1 is also the inspiration for the P85D. How has Tesla channeled the spirit of this 2,425 pound V12 powered beast? By creating a full-size electric luxury sedan that weighs nearly twice as much as its inspiration, but can still match its 3.2 second 0-60 time.
Source: BMW
2. BMW M5
The benchmark for all modern sport sedans, it’s difficult to find a better car on the road (or the track) than the BMW M5. Armed with a twin-turbo V8 putting out 560 horsepower, world-class handling, and BMW’s fantastic seven-speed dual-clutch gearbox, the M5 has been the undisputed four-door performance car champion for the better part of five decades. It can do 0-60 in 4.2 seconds – a full second slower than the Tesla.
Source: Jaguar
3. Jaguar F-Type Project 7
There aren’t many cars you can buy that are so focused on racing that they come from the factory with a spot to paint numbers on the door. But this is Jaguar’s F-Type Project 7, a snarling track beast that’s a big departure from the buttoned-down company from Coventry. The Project 7 is the most powerful production Jag ever built, with a 575 horsepower supercharged V8, bigger brakes, and a revised front aero kit added to the already-fantastic F-Type, making it one formidable foe on the track. With a 0-60 time of 3.8 seconds, this big cat would fall to the bigger Tesla by 0.6 seconds.
Source: Porsche
4. Porsche 911 Carrera 4 GTS
For over 50 years, the Porsche 911 has been the gold-standard for sports cars the world over. Prized for its combination of handling, engineering and sometimes too-powerful engines, the 911 is still the car to beat when it comes to all-around performance. And the Tesla can beat it – at least on paper. While the 911 Turbo S can make the 0-60 sprint in a mind-boggling 2.9 seconds, the 911 Carrera 4 GTS, with its flat-six putting out an impressive 430 horsepower does the 0-60 in 3.8 seconds, 0.6 seconds slower than the Tesla.
Source: General Motors
5. 2016 Cadillac CTS-V
Massive engines are nothing new to Cadillac – but 640 horsepower cars are. With the all-new CTS-V, Cadillac’s engineers borrowed the mighty 6.4 liter LT-1 V8 from the Chevrolet Corvette Z06, and dropped it in the already-impressive new CTS. The result is a gentleman’s supercar that can go 0-60 in 3.7 seconds, has a top speed of over 200 miles per hour, and gives the standard-bearing BMW M5 a serious run for its money. Still, the Tesla beats it to 60 by a long half-second.
Sources: Mercedes-Benz
6. 2016 Mercedes-Benz AMG GT S
Mercedes has taught the next-generation AMG GT S some manners – but thankfully not too many. The new AMG GT S has gotten rid of the gull-wing doors, and picked up a new 503 horsepower twin-turbo V8 engine, and has a performance pedigree that its sights set squarely on the Porsche 911. In the 3.7 seconds it spends trying to catch the 911 from 0-60, the Tesla will have beaten it to the mark by half a second.
Source: Audi
7. Audi R8 V10 LMX
Now entering its eighth year in production, the R8 still ranks as one of the best performance cars in the world – and one Audi won’t stop tinkering with. The R8 V10 LMX edition is the latest and most powerful incarnation, designed as a showcase for Audi’s performance and technical wizardry. With a 562 horsepower V10 engine supplied by Lamborghini, this supercar also sports the world’s first standard laser high-beam headlights (which, alas, aren’t legal in the U.S.). The all-wheel drive Audi goes 0-60 in a blistering 3.4 seconds – 0.2 seconds slower than the big Tesla.
8. Ferrari 458 Italia
The Ferrari 458 Italia has quickly earned its place as one of the most beloved cars the company has ever built. With a mid-mounted 570 horsepower V8 taking it from 0-60 in 3.4 seconds, the Tesla would just have the edge over the Italian thoroughbred.
Source: Dodge
9. Dodge Viper SRT TA 2.0
If there’s any car that’s the antithesis of the Tesla, it has to be the Viper. A loud, gas-guzzling speed machine, the Viper is powered by a massive V10 making 640 horsepower. The TA designation stands for “Time Attack,” and Dodge has added a new rear wing, aero kit, and upgraded suspension to keep the tail-happy Viper planted to the road. These modifications take the track-day Viper from 0-60 in 3.3 seconds. Unfortunately, the eco-friendly Tesla has it beat by a cool 0.1 seconds.
Source: Lamborghini
10. Lamborghini Huracán LP 610-4
Lamborghinis are meant to be seen as well as driven, which is why it would be so satisfying to beat one in a race – especially in a Tesla. The aluminum and carbon-fiber Huracán LP 610-4 would prove to be a worthy opponent, with a mid-mounted V10 putting out 602 horsepower to all four wheels. The official 0-60 time? 3.2 seconds – same as the Tesla. If you have your doubts, check out how the P85D fared against the Huracán’s older sibling, the Aventador, which has a 0-60 time marked at 2.9 seconds.
The Tesla P85D is a true engineering marvel. Not only is it a full-size luxury sedan that can compete with some of the world’s best cars, it’s a reliable electric car, too. On top of its performance prowess, it can go 253 miles on a single charge, has room for the family inside, and with two cavernous trunks in the front and rear, it can swallow a month’s worth of groceries with room to spare. Try and do that in a Lamborghini.
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