
New Tesla Model S Plaid owner, Steven Thompson, recently took his new electric sedan to the drag strip.
In a video shared on Wednesday, Thompson shows his Model S Plaid beating a Nissan GTR FBO E85 in a quarter-mile race. The Model S Plaid did the quarter-mile in 9.7 seconds at a speed of 148mph, beating the GTR which recorded 10.7 seconds at 132mph.
According to Thompson, prior to this run, he did a 9.3-second quarter mile at 151mph. He was told to “take it easy” after the run, due to the Model S Plaid not being fitted with a roll cage and possibly being kicked off the drag strip.
Roll cages are normally required for cars running 10.99 seconds or quicker or 135mph or faster, according to the National Hot Rod Association (NHRA).
Thus, after running his 9.3-second quarter-mile, Thompson says he “didn’t go [wide open throttle] after the 1/8” mark of the race versus the Nissan GTR, to prevent getting booted from the drag strip. Gotta love the Model S Plaid.
The Model S Plaid hit a 9.24 second quarter-mile when driven by Jay Leno recently, setting a new record.
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