We all know that the Tesla Model S Plaid is almost unbelievably fast at this point. Countless Youtube videos of plaid owners distorting the faces of their passengers by accelerating prove its relentless speed time and time again. However, it can be even faster with a little weight loss. Without a rear seat, the Model S Plaid is able to go from 62 to 124 mph in 3.99 seconds in this new video from AutoTopNL.
Aside from the lack of rear seats, this Model S Plaid appears to be stock, meaning its three electric motors make 1,020 horsepower and 1,050 lb-ft of torque. While dropping the rear seats didn’t shed a ton of weight—the leather-covered rear seat of the Model S could weigh as much as 100 pounds—lightening its load even a tiny bit seems even more violent than usual.
In the video, the driver drives the Model S Plaid on a German autobahn, where he is able to test the upper limits of its performance. During one of their high-speed runs, they were able to record the aforementioned 3.99 second 62-124 mph run. Another of their runs also completed the quarter mile in 9.33 seconds. Since this particular Model S Plaid was equipped with the Track Package, it is capable of reaching 200 mph, which is also featured in this video. In fact, it hit 203 mph, which is a nutty number for a four-door family sedan.
I can’t imagine that acceleration would be comfortable because it must feel like being launched from the deck of an aircraft carrier. The car in this video isn’t quite as fast as the one its owner chopped up and turned into a 1,020 horsepower go-kart, but it’s not far off, and it’s still a fully functional two-passenger car. It also has a proper steering wheel, which is much better suited to high-speed driving than the optional caliper.
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