In an interview on CNBC‘s The News With Shepard Smith, Jay Leno talked about breaking the world record for fastest 1/4 mile time in a ‘production car’ in a Tesla Model S Plaid.
Earlier in the month, the comedian, writer, vehicle enthusiast, and host of Jay Leno’s Garage took a Model S Plaid down to a dragway in Bakersfield, California, where he attempted to set a new record for fastest 1/4 mile time for a production car.
Leno even had officials from the National Hot Rod Association present to make everything official. He posted a 1/4 mile time of 9.247 seconds at 152.09 mph, successfully beating out the Bugatti Chiron, which previously held the record with a time of 9.4 seconds at 254.3 km/h (158 mph).
“You know what the most amazing part was? That drag-strip was near Bakersfield, in an agricultural area. So, there’s farming all around. There were birds sitting on the Christmas tree […]. When I stepped on the accelerator and took off, and I came back down after going 152, the birds were still there,” said Leno, noting how whisper quiet the Model S Plaid is even while driving at record-setting speeds.
And to top it all off, Leno had the air conditioning on through the entire run.
Shortly after Leno publicized his experience, Tesla reaffirmed its official numbers for the Model S Plaid’s 1/4 mile time: 9.23 seconds at 155 mph (250 km/h), which is very close to what Leno was able to achieve. CEO Elon Musk also liked numerous tweets detailing the record time.
Leno’s show is set to resume this fall, so we should see more footage of his experience later this year.
The Model S Plaid goes 0-60 in just 1.99 seconds, and the base model comes with a range of 390 miles at a $129,990 USD starting price.
Click here to watch the replay of Tesla’s Model S Plaid delivery event, which happened earlier this week on Thursday.
