New Tesla Model 3 Performance runs the quarter-mile in under 11 seconds

The first Tesla Model 3 Highland Performance version heads to the dragstrip. The crowd and the staff at the drag racing track look a bit surprised as it’s the first Tesla Model 3 that appeared here with a Ludicrous Mode badge.

The owner who has his YouTube channel “Mountain Man Tesla”, took his new Model 3 Performance to
Sonoma Raceway in California. This racing track is surrounded by the Sonoma Mountains. The scenery of this dragstrip makes drag racing here even more exciting.

This was the first-ever drag racing experience for the Tesla Model 3 Performance (Ludicrous) owner. Even while the driver was inexperienced, the new Model 3 Performance scored two consecutive quarter-mile runs in under 11 seconds.

Above: Table of Tesla Model 3 Performance quarter-mile times in a drag racing challenge.

The first drag race was between the new and legacy Model 3 Performance cars. With a great response time of 0.034s at the launch, the new Model 3 Performance launched early off the start line. It completed the quarter-mile in just 10.916 seconds vs the legacy Model 3 crossed the finish line in 12.322 seconds. In this attempt, the new Model 3 Performance was driven by a professional race driver.

In the next two attempts, the new Tesla Model 3 Performance was driven by the owner himself with no prior experience of drag racing. This time, the rival was again the legacy Model 3 Performance in white color. The new Model 3 Performance won this race again with a good margin of 1.019 seconds (quarter mile times: 10.962s vs 11.981s).

Video: Tesla Model 3 Performance (Ludicrous) performs 1/4-mile runs in under 11 seconds.

The next and final drag racing competition was against a highly modded Mercedes race car. However, the Tesla Model 3 performed great in this attempt as well and won the race. It won by a slight margin of 0.057s but winning is what counts at the end.

If we look at the quarter-mile numbers in the table above, I shows the consistency of the new Tesla Model 3 Performance. Tesla has refreshed the design of the new Model 3 Highland Performance that is more aerodynamic compared to the old design. The sharper front and improved rear lets the air slip through the body of the car unhindered.

Video: Tesla Chief Designer Franz von Holzhausen and Tesla engineers explaining the new Model 3 Performance design and engineering improvements.

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Featured image: Courtesy of Tesla, Inc.

Note: This article was published earlier at Tesla Oracle. Author: Iqtidar Ali.