Mean Tesla Model S Spied In Action At The Nurburgring

After running into some problems in September, forcing them to stop their runs around the famed “Green Hell”, Tesla has promised to return. And return they did, with not one, but two cars this time around. Spotted by Automotive Mike, a well known Nurburgring Nordschleife spy photographer and videographer, here we see a pair of similar but slightly different Model S cars take to the circuit. In what seems to be a benchmark setting run against each other, each Model S has some slight differences, but both are confirmed to be the “Plaid” prototypes that were said to be undergoing some track testing. 

Aside from the color differences, a keen eye would spot that the blue unit has a Dual Motor badge on the rear, while the red vehicle is marked with a P100D+ badge. The blue unit has widened fender flares and a performance tire and wheel combo, plus a large rear diffuser. The red car had the same setup, minus the diffuser. The red Model S was also equipped with seven seats this time, and both cars were spotted to have rollcages installed. Both cars are also said to be slightly different in performance, too, with the blue unit spotted less than a week ago already doing some initial laps. This is the same blue Model S that unofficially bested the Porsche Taycan’s time on the track by 2 seconds, with the red Model S shaving 20 seconds off Porsche’s recorded time. 

Despite the recent setbacks, Tesla looks keen on further refining their cars for track applications, with added aerodynamic tweaks and stickier tires. The final production “Plaid” Model S features three motors and will be set to enter manufacturing by the summer of 2020, but no pricing has been indicated as of yet. One thing’s for sure, though, the battle for the fastest EV around the ‘Ring has gotten even more interesting, and we’re waiting for a serious comeback from the Germans.