Tesla claims one track record, plans to go for another
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Elon Musk has claimed that Tesla has set a track record, just not the one people were expecting.
Following the reveal of the electric Porsche Taycan Turbo S last week, Musk tweeted that Tesla was sending a Model S sedan to Germany’s 13-mile-long Nurburgring race track, where a prototype for the Porsche posted the fastest lap ever in an electric sedan.
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Musk didn’t explicitly say Tesla was trying to beat the Porsche's record, but that seemed to be the implication. In the meantime, the Model S picked up a record at a different track. Musk tweeted on Wednesday that the sedan set the fastest time for a four-door around California’s Laguna Seca.
The A Model S P100D already held the production electric sedan record around the 2.2-mile track at 1:43, but the overall mark was set last year by the Jaguar XE SV Project 8 at 1:37.54. Musk said video of the new lap, which will reveal the official time, will be posted soon.
He also gave an update on the Nurburgring effort, saying a car is being tested and tuned, but won’t go for a lap time this week. Given the length of the track, it presents a much greater challenge than Laguna Seca, especially for high-performance electric cars, which are prone to overheating and power loss.
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However, Road and Track reports that someone booked a surprise 30-minute private session at the track on Sept. 21, suggesting Tesla or another automaker could be planning a record run.