Mysterious Tesla Model 3 decimates competition in multiple 1/8-mile drag races

A Tesla Model 3 recently made an appearance in a drag strip meet at the SDCCU Stadium in San Diego, CA, where it attracted a lot of attention due to its performance in multiple 1/8-mile drag races. The Model 3, which is suspected to be a Performance model, made a splash at the event, beating several souped-up vehicles in the process.

A video of the rather mysterious blue Tesla Model 3 was shared on YouTube’s auto-themed 7zerex channel. The channel noted that the Model 3’s specific trim was not announced to spectators during the RaceLegal.com-organized drag racing meet, but its speed, as well as the way it decimated its competitors, appear to suggest that it was the Performance version.

The vehicle in the video does feature several components that are characteristic of the Model 3 Performance, such as its red brake calipers and what seem to be 20″ Performance Sport Wheels. That said, the red-underlined Dual Motor badge and carbon fiber spoiler that is part of Tesla’s Performance Upgrade were not visible on the electric sedan. The mysterious Model 3’s suspension also appears to be slightly lowered.

The Model 3 competed against several gas-powered vehicles in the recently shared video, including a heavily modified car that would not look out of place in a Fast and the Furious film. In one of the runs, the announcer on the drag strip noted that the Model 3 crossed the 1/8-mile mark at 94 mph, allowing it to leave its competitor completely behind. Following rounds with other competing vehicles ended the same way, with the Model 3 easily winning.

The Model 3, even the top-tier Performance trim, is not as quick in a straight line as its larger sibling, the Tesla Model S P100D, which is capable of going from 0-60 mph in ~2.3 seconds thanks to its Ludicrous Mode. Despite this, the Model 3 Performance is still formidable on the drag strip, with a listed 0-60 mph time of 3.5 seconds. VBOX tests of the vehicle also prove that the car, even with stock equipment, is capable of hitting 60 mph in as little as 3.18 seconds when its batteries are fully charged.

The Model 3 is noted as the first Tesla capable of being driven hard on the track. Signs that the midsize electric sedan is capable of track driving started emerging earlier this year when non-Performance Long Range RWD variants of the electric car completed laps in courses like the Laguna Seca Raceway without getting throttled. A Long Range RWD Model 3 with upgraded suspension and brakes also won the 2018 Canadian Sport Compact Series Time Attack series, where it defeated a Porsche Boxster to win in its category.

As Tesla started rolling out the Model 3 Performance to reservation holders, it was revealed that the vehicle has a special Track Mode, which optimizes the electric car for the track. The Model 3 Performance’s Track Mode, which Elon Musk describes as an “Expert User Mode” for the vehicle, would likely become the foundation of a dedicated track mode for the company’s upcoming halo car, the next-generation Tesla Roadster.  

Watch the mysterious Tesla Model 3 dominate on the drag strip in the video below.

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