Since 2011, Motor Trend has been hosting a YouTube-friendly sensation with the World’s Greatest Drag Race. Each year, they pit several cars against each other in a simple, quarter-mile drag race competition. For years, the event was held at a former Motor Trend test facility (the decommissioned Marine Corps Air Station El Toro in Irvine, California) but this year, it moved to the active base of Vandenberg Air Force base. As you might expect, the competition is a fun as it sounds and even more exciting.
The Competition
As you’d expect, there was representation from many of the big names in luxury sports cars. The list includes the Ferrari 488 GTB, Porsche 911 Turbo S, Chevrolet Camaro ZL1 1LE, Porsche 718 Cayman S, Lexus LC 500, Mercedes-AMG GT R, Alfa Romeo Giulia Quadrifoglio, Chevrolet Corvette Grand Sport, Aston Martin DB11, Nissan GT-R NISMO, Mazda MX-5 Miata RF, and the McLaren 570GT. Of course, from that list, we might have pegged Porsche, Ferrari, or Aston Martin for the win, or perhaps the McLaren because we just love the McLaren.
The Surprise Competitor
Elon Musk is familiar with Vandenberg Air Force Base as he has tested many a SpaceX rocket on site. He found that adding one of his Tesla cars seemed to be an interesting challenge. Motor Trend extended the invite and with the exclusion of the Mazda Miata from the race, the Tesla Model S P100D became a surprise competitor and the first electric vehicle to participate in the World’s Greatest Drag Race. Luckily for Tesla, Vandenberg is equipped with a Supercharger.
The Race
Since the race itself is only one-quarter of a mile, it ends relatively quickly which, of course, only adds to the excitement. The cars take their place in line, engines begin to rev, and the race begins. The cars roared down the track and took turns in different positions until the Ferrari and Porsche 911 were in the lead along with the Tesla.
The Win
As the three leaders in the race emerged from the pack that then trailed them, one winner emerged. Inching out the competition by fractions of a second, the Tesla Model S P100D took the win, much to the surprise of many. Another feather in the cap of the proponent of the electric vehicle. You too can feel the excitement of the race when you watch the World’s Greatest Drag Race 7 on the Motor Trend Channel below
Is there an electric car in your future? Does this entice you to consider your own luxury electric car? For more about exciting developments in cars today, try our list of the most exciting automotive reveals we saw in 2017.
