Tesla Model S shows signs of beating Porsche Taycan’s Nurburgring record

Tesla is ramping up its Nürburgring testing in pursuit of the Porsche Taycan Turbo S’s record, and it seems to be right on track. One of our spy photographers caught a second Tesla Model S testing there, and he did a bit of unofficial stopwatch timing. The fastest time he recorded was 7 minutes and 23 seconds, which is 19 seconds ahead of Porsche’s record. Naturally, an observer’s stopwatch timing is far from final, but it does show that Tesla may be on to something.

Both of the Model S cars spied feature the same modifications as we’ve previously seen. They have fender flares that house wider wheels and tires, a rear spoiler, an expanded front grille, and seriously sticky tires. According to our photographer, the cars have switched from Michelins to Goodyear Eagle F1 Supersport RS examples. For those unfamiliar, the Goodyears are also semi-slick street legal tires that are designed primarily for competition.

No current production Tesla has these modifications available, however, they may be part of an upcoming production variant known as “Plaid.” The company recently announced the existence of the high-performance powertrain and chassis after showing it lap Laguna Seca with a time of 1 minute 36.5 seconds. We’re beginning to suspect the Model S test cars in Germany have the same setup. According to Elon Musk, the Plaid model is still about a year away from production. We may see an announced time soon, though, as our spy photographer says the company could make a record attempt Wednesday night or on Saturday.

The photographer also reports that Tesla is not relying on Nico Rosberg for driving duties, but rather some drivers who have more Nürburgring experience.