2015 Corvette Stingray Crushes AWD Tesla P85D (Video)

Last month, a video surfaced showing a Tesla Model S P85D drag racing against a 2015 Dodge Challenger SRT Hellcat, with the electric sedan pummeling the very poorly driven Challenger. Since the typical EVangelist knows nothing about (drag) racing, the group was proud that the Tesla Model S had beaten the 707 horsepower Challenger, taking to the various social networks to point out how slow the Hellcat coupe is in the real world. The truth to that Tesla P85D – v - Hellcat Challenger race was that while the Model S turned an incredibly impressive time, the clown driving the Dodge embarrassed himself and there are good odds that the race would have been very different if the Challenger driver had any idea what he was doing. Fortunately, with the advanced all-wheel drive system of the Model S P85D, the Tesla driver didn’t need to know anything about launching, which allowed him or her to run in the mid 11s by just flooring it when the light turned green.

Unfortunately for the droves of Tesla fans, this newest video has the Model S P85D racing against a far less powerful Chevrolet Corvette Stingray, but the Vette is piloted by someone who knows how to drive. Oddly, while the EV sites and the mainstream media were all about bragging on Tesla’s behalf when the 691 horsepower P85D beat a poorly driven Hellcat Challenger, there has been almost no coverage of this video showing the 460 horsepower Corvette beating up the Tesla sedan…presumably because this is a fairly embarrassing loss for the $105,000 EV.

Corvette Stingray VS Tesla Model S P85D
In case you don’t know all of the vital facts on the C7 Chevrolet Corvette Stingray or the Tesla Model S P85D, here is a quick rundown.

The C7 Corvette Stingray is powered by a 6.2L LT1 V8 with 460 horsepower and 465lb-ft of torque, which is sent to the rear wheels by either an 8-speed automatic transmission or a 7-speed manual unit. The Corvette coupe weighs 3,298lbs and the price starts around $55,000.

The Tesla Model S P85D is powered by dual electric motors, one situation at each axle. This allows the range-topping electric sedan to produce 691 horsepower and 687lb-ft of torque, and due to the nature of the electric drive design, that torque is available from a stop. The Model S P85D weighs 4,830lbs and the price starts around $105,000.

Although the Model S weighs around 1,600lbs more than the base Corvette, it still has an advantage in power to weight ratio (6.99 for the Tesla, 7.17 for the Vette) while also having a clear advantage in traction due to the all-wheel drive system. In other words, the numbers suggest that a drag race between the Model S P85D and the Corvette Stingray would amount to a landslide win for the super sedan, but the numbers aren’t always right.

The Run
The video begins as the Corvette Stingray and the Tesla Model S P85D ease into the staging beams of the quarter mile drag strip. As the two cars light the pre-stage and stage lights on the “Christmas tree”, I will admit that I was expecting to see the all-wheel drive Tesla destroy the far less powerful, rear wheel drive Corvette. Amazingly, the driver of the Stingray is able to put the power to the ground well enough to stay right with the all-wheel drive EV as the two cars launch, and as the Corvette accelerates down the track, it gradually pulls away from the Model S. In the end, the Tesla turned an awesome quarter mile time of 11.79, but the Corvette got there first with a time of 11.67. Also, the Corvette went through the finish line traps with a speed some 7 miles per hour faster than the Tesla.

That’s right – the $55,000 Corvette Stingray with only 460hp and 465lb-ft of torque made short work of the $105,000 Tesla Model S with 691hp and 687lb-ft of torque. The EV still turned a very solid quarter mile time, yet the EV sites and the mainstream media weren’t as quick to show this video off, as they wouldn’t want to run off Elon’s ad dollars with bad publicity. Fortunately, the video is available below so crank up your speakers and enjoy the race right here on TorqueNews.com.

For all of you Tesla trolls ready with your canned explanation as to why the mighty P85D lost to the lowly Corvette Stingray, the comment section is just below the video.

Thanks to Big Max on the video link!