Know what’s great? Rivalries. That’s especially true in the automotive world. Seeing these massive corporations throw obscene amounts of money at ridiculously vindicative statements is great fun.
Case in point: Tesla vs Porsche. While the former had ostensibly claimed the goal of providing an affordable EV for the masses, it’s amusing to see them, instead, get hung up on a speed record at a German racetrack.
This should come as no surprise. Elon Musk has long sent his company chasing after his desire for overly-complicated door handles or, uh, fart mode, instead of things like I dunno, meeting production targets. That he’s occupied with Porsche’s rival to the Model S is obvious.
Tesla vs Porsche: for the Benefit of…Fast Cars Go Fast!
For those who don’t know: the Porsche Taycan is an upcoming all-electric four-seater from one of Germany’s most prestigious brands. This presents a different existential threat to Tesla than any Chevy Bolt or Nissan Leaf ever could. So when the Taycan set the record for the fastest four-door EV on the famed Nurburgring, Musk was incensed.
Enter a dedicated team of Tesla engineers, a series of tweets, and a questionable challenge. While Porsche logged an official time of 7:42 around the 20-ish km track, Tesla claims to have beaten that by an unofficial 20 seconds. Doing so required a team of specialists working around the clock (and beside a broken-down Model S as a Taycan passed it) to get there.
Now, while they may have achieved their goal, it’ll take an official lap to set the record straight. Further compromising things is the fact that the Taycan Porsche sent out was a production model. The Model S Tesla used, on the other hand, was a one-off featuring a unique tri-motor setup.
So, yeah. Kudos to Tesla, I guess?
Porsche, to their credit, don’t seem to be too perturbed by this. Instead, they’re appreciative of all the marketing Musk’s been doing for them, building awareness of the Taycan and all.