
Contributor
The fastest Tesla Model S is about to get faster.
Elon Musk has confirmed deliveries for the tri-motor Model S Plaid will start late in 2021, and revealed the car’s eye-popping performance figures.
The Model S Plaid will do the 60mph (97km/h) sprint in less than two seconds, and the quarter mile sprint in less than nine seconds thanks to its tri-motor all-wheel drive system.
Claimed top speed is north of 320km/h, and the powertrain lays down 820kW of power. Despite the wild performance, Tesla is promising a range of 835km between charges.
Mr Musk says the Plaid lapped Laguna Seca in 1:30.3, making it faster than the Lucid Air that stole the electric vehicle record from a Model S Plaid prototype earlier this year.
The goal for the Plaid is to better the 1:27.62 set by Randy Pobst in a McLaren Senna at Laguna Seca.
“We’re confident the Model S Plaid will achieve the best track time of any production vehicle ever, of any kind – two-door or otherwise,” Mr Musk said.
“You can order it now, and it’s available basically at the end of next year.”

The late-2021 delivery date represents a significant delay for the highest-performance Model S, which was originally meant to launch this year.
In Australia, the Model S Plaid will be priced from $189,990 before on-road costs, making it cheaper than the entry-level Porsche Taycan 4S.
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Scott Collie is an automotive journalist based in Melbourne, Australia. Scott studied journalism at RMIT University and, after a lifelong obsession with everything automotive, started covering the car industry shortly afterwards. He has a passion for travel, and is an avid Melbourne Demons supporter.
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