A Tesla sedan drag raced a $4 million Bugatti — the results were surprisingly close
- A Tesla Model S drag raced a Bugatti Chiron.
- The Bugatti won, but the races were surprisingly close given the cost difference between the cars.
An enduringly strange element of the rise of electric vehicles is that previously rare levels of performance are now commonplace.
Since electric motors can provide immense amounts of power at any speed, neck-snapping quickness that used to be reserved for the most coveted Porsches, Ferraris, and Lamborghinis is now available in Teslas, Kias, and BMWs of all shapes and sizes.
This bizarre trend was perfectly encapsulated in a recent YouTube video from the automotive marketplace Carwow. The channel pitted the sportiest Tesla you can buy — a four-door Model S Plaid with the optional Track Package — against the Bugatti Chiron Super Sport, a multimillion-dollar supercar from a brand synonymous with world-beating performance.
Spoiler alert: The Bugatti came out on top. As it should. But the results were closer than you might expect — especially given that the Model S will run you only a little over $100,000. I say "only" because the Chiron Super Sport would have cost at least $4 million when new.
Before we dive into the video, a little more about our contenders: the Model S Plaid offers 1,020 horsepower from three motors.
The Chiron has a 16-cylinder, quad-turbocharged engine making 1,600 horsepower. A modified version of the Chiron, the Super Sport 300+, holds the title of the world's fastest production car, notching a top speed of 305 mph.
In the first test, a quarter-mile drag race, the Tesla led for quite a while — thanks to all that instantly available torque I mentioned earlier. But when the Tesla started to flag at high speeds, the Bugatti was just getting started. The Chiron surged past the Tesla to take the victory by a hair, with both cars finishing in 9.6 seconds.
It was a similar story in the next head-to-head, a half-mile race starting at 50 mph. The Tesla pulled away quicker initially, but at high speeds, it's no match for the Bugatti, which ripped from 120 mph to 210 mph without breaking a sweat.
It's wild that this is even a contest. Check out the full video below: