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Is Tesla’s Ultimate Porsche Showdown Spooking Elon Musk?

Last Updated September 23, 2020 1:00 PM
Harsh Chauhan
Last Updated September 23, 2020 1:00 PM

Elon Musk probably bit off more than he could chew when he challenged Porsche’s first electric vehicle – the Taycan Turbo – in a potential showdown at Nürburgring. Musk got all worked up after the Porsche Taycan Turbo set a lap record at the Ring and claimed the title of the fastest “four-door, all-electric sports car” that the Tesla CEO might have coveted.

Elon Musk tries to beat around the bush

However, the irony is that Elon Musk didn’t book  a slot at Nürburgring. The track’s management said that Tesla has not rented a time for an attempt and they might not be able to accommodate them either because the track remains fully-booked for the entire season.

The latest update  says that a Tesla Model S is at the Ring, but for industry pool testing that allows manufacturers to only test their vehicles and not set a lap time. But in a bid to save face, Musk has just tweeted that the Tesla Model S has set the record for the fastest four-door car at the Laguna Seca.

Musk’s tweet doesn’t give out any more details, though he says that the video will be out soon. But Teslarati  says that in order to set the fastest lap for a production EV at the Laguna Seca Raceway, the Model S needed to clock a time lower than 1:37.5. That time was set by a modded Model 3 souped up with aftermarket parts.

So it remains to be seen if Tesla modded the Model S to achieve the fastest lap at the track, or if Musk is bragging without substance once more.

And if Musk thought that setting a time at Laguna Seca will make people forget about the Nürburgring, he was wrong.

Tesla gets roasted for Musk’s backtracking

Elon Musk’s latest tweets indicate that he might be having second thoughts about challenging the Porsche Taycan Turbo. Not surprisingly, Twitter is having a field day roasting Musk and Tesla.

https://twitter.com/GasGreenhouse/status/1171680096614277121

Another Twitter user asked how Musk plans to “tune” an electric car, a term that’s usually associated with internal combustion engines that can be modded to generate more power.

https://twitter.com/cazin678/status/1171728655929753600

Meanwhile, another user called out Musk for his earlier promises that have failed to materialize.

https://twitter.com/BongripCapital/status/1171728029669875713

So there’s a good chance that the Model S might not compete against the Porsche Taycan Turbo anytime soon.

And when Musk eventually finds out that the Model S – a premium family sedan – might not be a match for a supercar  like the Taycan Turbo built by a manufacturer that focuses  on “absolute performance” and “exceptional handling,” he would regret tweeting in the first place.