Tesla Model S Plaid takes on the almighty McLaren 600LT in a street race

Ever wondered if a Tesla Model S Plaid can be rented on Turo? Yes, it is possible to get the fastest production car ever made using this ridesharing service. It turns out that Brooks Weisblat of Drag Times was in Los Angeles and rented a Plaid-spec Model S on Turo for some fun on his trip out there.

Above: Tesla Model S Plaid and McLaren 600 LT at the start line of the race (Source: Vehicle Virgins / YouTube)

What did he have in mind? Well, he lobbed a call over to Parker Nirenstein, who owns the YouTube channel Vehicle Virgins. Brooks was interested in a showdown between Parker's McLaren 600LT vs. his rented Model S Plaid (ummm, kids get permission before doing this).

Although the twin-turbocharged 3.8-liter V-8 powered 600LT is extremely fast, Tesla's Plaid acceleration is out of this world — something akin to Alien Technology, as Elon Musk is prone to say. To that end, let’s go over a spec-to-spec comparison of the Model S Plaid and McLaren 600LT to see how they stack up against one another on paper.

Specs comparison

Above: Performance specs comparison of Tesla Model S Plaid vs. McLaren 600LT. Source: Manufacturer specs from Tesla and McLaren. *When equipped with the proper wheels and tires (available fall 2021). Compiled by Iqtidar Ali / TeslaOracle.com.

The Cheetah Stance that Brooks refers to in the video was introduced by Tesla last year in a free over-the-air software update. Cheetah Stance lowers the front axle and adjusts the damping of the car for a quicker and more aerodynamic launch. This mode enhanced the 0-60 mph time of the older Tesla Model S Performance (P100D) from 2.5 seconds to 2.3 seconds at that time (note: Tesla's P100D is now discontinued in favor of the Model S Plaid).

Experiencing Plaid acceleration and Drag Strip Mode (launch) a few times, Parker was completely amazed much like everyone who feels that rush for the first time. After his first encounter with Plaid, Parker sensed that his $259,000 McLaren 600LT stood no chance against the $129,900 Tesla Model S Plaid. Was he right? Check out the video below to see what goes down.

Video

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Written by: Iqtidar Ali. Source: Vehicle Virgins. An earlier version of this article was originally published by Tesla Oracle. Revised update edited by EVANNEX.