Connect with us

Lifestyle

Tesla Model 3 Performance handily slays Ferrari F12 in drag race

(Credit: YouTube/Matteo Valenza)

Published

6 years ago

on

Several Tesla electric cars recently hit an airport landing strip in Italy to compete against a Ferrari F12 Berlinetta, and the results proved that even the Silicon Valley-based automaker’s most conservative Performance-branded vehicle is no joke when it comes to drag races.

A Performance variant of the Tesla Model 3 challenged the Ferrari on both a 200m (1/8 mile) and 400m (1/4 mile) race in a video uploaded to YouTube by auto enthusiast Matteo Valenza. The Ferrari F12berlinetta packs a 731 horsepower 6.3 L V12 engine with rear-wheel-drive that is capable of hitting a top speed of 211 mph. The car features a quick 0-62 MPH time of 3.1 seconds, though it boasts a base price of $400,000, well into the supercar price range.

The Model 3 Performance variant has a 3.2 second 0-60 time with a top speed of 162 MPH and will set buyers back only $55,990, a fraction of what the F12berlinetta costs.

The advantage of electric vehicles in a drag race comes from the electric motor’s ability to produce instant torque. Electric cars do not have a transmission, so there is no delay in the time that torque takes to travel to the wheels of the vehicle. This concept has been proven many times, and Tesla vehicles, especially when sporting a Performance variant, are heavily favored against any vehicle that uses an internal combustion engine.

But the most impressive statistic about the whole test was the fact that the Ferrari was outperformed by the Model 3 Performance on both tests, even though the vehicle, essentially a very quick family sedan, was able to beat an actual supercar on a drag strip. If someone was looking to have a Tesla that could dominate supercars on the quarter miles, after all, they would more than likely be interested in a Model S Performance instead, which has a 0-60 mph time of less than 2.5 seconds.

Advertisement

In the 200m race, the Model 3 Performance handily defeated the Ferrari F12, outperforming the vehicle and crossing the line .44 seconds ahead of the Ferrari. The official time recorded in the 200m race was 0:06.77 seconds for the Model 3 and 0:07:21 for the Ferrari. During the race, the Tesla pulled away from the Ferrari off the line, utilizing the instant torque to create distance and staying ahead until the vehicles crossed the 200m mark.

Perhaps what is more impressive are the results of the 400m race, where the Model 3 Performance surprised the channel’s host registering a 0:10.58 time. This was .39 seconds quicker than the Ferrari F12 Berlinetta, whose time was 0:10.97.

That being said, the quickest time of the day was recorded during a 200m test by a Tesla Model S P100D. The lightning-quick large sedan crossed the 200m mark with an impressive 0:06.38 seconds, nearly eight-tenths of a second faster than the Ferrari F12.

Watch Matteo Valenza’s day of drag races with the Tesla Model 3 Performance below:

Advertisement
Related Topics:

Joey has been a journalist covering electric mobility at TESLARATI since August 2019. In his spare time, Joey is playing golf, watching MMA, or cheering on any of his favorite sports teams, including the Baltimore Ravens and Orioles, Miami Heat, Washington Capitals, and Penn State Nittany Lions. You can get in touch with joey at joey@teslarati.com. He is also on X @KlenderJoey. If you're looking for great Tesla accessories, check out shop.teslarati.com

Comments

Lifestyle

Elon Musk seemingly confirms Cybertruck gift to 13-year-old cancer fighter

Diagnosed in 2018 with a rare form of brain and spine cancer with no cure, the teen has undergone 13 surgeries by the time he was 12.

Published

2 months ago

on

March 6, 2025

By

Credit: Tesla

Elon Musk has seemingly confirmed that he will be sending a Tesla Cybertruck to 13-year-old Devarjaye “DJ” Daniel, a 13-year-old Houston boy fighting brain cancer. The teen was recognized as an honorary Secret Service member by U.S. President Donald Trump during his address to Congress on Tuesday. 

A Chance Meeting

The Tesla CEO’s Cybertruck pledge was mentioned during DJ’s short interview with CNN’s Kaitlan Collins. When Collins asked the 13-year-old what he told the Tesla CEO, DJ answered that he asked for a Cybertruck.

“I said, ‘can you do me a big favor, when you get back to Houston can you send us a Cybertruck down there?’” the cancer fighter stated.

Daniel noted that Musk responded positively to his request, which was highlighted by Collins in a post on X. Musk responded to the post with a heart emoji, suggesting that he really will be sending a Cybertruck to the 13-year-old cancer fighter.

Teen’s Cancer Battle Inspires

Diagnosed in 2018 with a rare form of brain and spine cancer with no cure, Daniel has undergone 13 surgeries by the time he was 12. During his speech, Trump highlighted the 13-year-old’s long battle with his disease. 

Advertisement

“Joining us in the gallery tonight is a young man who truly loves our police. The doctors gave him five months at most to live. That was more than six years ago. Since that time, DJ and his dad have been on a quest to make his dream come true,” Trump stated.

Daniels officially received an honorary badge from U.S. Secret Service Director Sean Curran, to much applause during the event.

Surprisingly Partisan

While Daniels’ story has been inspiring, Trump’s focus on the 13-year-old cancer fighter has received its own fair share of criticism. MSNBC host Nicolle Wallace, while referencing Daniels’ love for law enforcement, noted that she is hoping the 13-year-old never has to defend the U.S. capitol against Trump supporters. “If he does, I hope he isn’t one of the six who loses his life to suicide,” Wallace stated.

Anti-Musk and Trump accounts on X have also thrown jokes at the cancer fighter’s honorary badge, with some dubbing the 13-year-old as a “DEI hire” that should be looked into by DOGE.

Advertisement
Continue Reading

Lifestyle

Tesla owner highlights underrated benefit of FSD Supervised

Published

3 months ago

on

January 31, 2025

By

Credit: Tesla

Elon Musk has been pretty open about the idea of FSD being the difference maker for Tesla’s future.

If Tesla succeeds in achieving FSD, it could become the world’s most valuable company. If it doesn’t, then the company would not be able to reach its optimum potential.

FSD Supervised’s safety benefits:

  • But even if FSD is still not perfect today, FSD Supervised is already making a difference on the roads today.
  • This was highlighted in Tesla’s Q4 2024 Vehicle Safety Report.
  • As per Tesla, it recorded one crash for every 5.94 million miles driven in which drivers were using Autopilot technology.
  • For comparison, the most recent data available from the NHTSA and FHWA (from 2023) showed that there was one automobile crash every 702,000 miles in the United States. 

FSD user’s tale:

  • As per an FSD user’s post on social media platform X, FSD Supervised was able to help him drive a relative to a medical facility safely even if he was exhausted.
  • During the trip, the driver only had to monitor FSD Supervised’s performance to make sure the Tesla operated safely.
  • In a vehicle without FSD, such a trip with an exhausted driver would have been quite dangerous. 
  • “This morning, Tesla FSD proved to be an absolute godsend. I had to take my brother-in-law to the hospital in Sugar Land, TX, which is 40 miles away, at the ungodly hour of 4 AM. Both of us were exhausted, and he was understandably anxious about the surgery.
  • “The convenience of sending the hospital’s address directly from my iPhone to my Tesla while still inside my house, then just a single button press once inside, and 40 miles later we were precisely in front of the hospital’s admissions area.This experience really underscores just how transformative this technology can be for society,” Tesla owner JC Christopher noted in his post.

Don’t hesitate to contact us with news tips. Just send a message to simon@teslarati.com to give us a heads up.

Continue Reading

Lifestyle

Tesla Optimus “stars” in incredible fanmade action short film

Published

3 months ago

on

January 14, 2025

By

Credit: @SoKrispyMedia/YouTube

There are few things that prove an enthusiast’s love towards a company more than a dedicated short film. This was highlighted recently when YouTube’s SoKrispyMedia posted a 10-minute action movie starring Optimus, Tesla’s humanoid robot, as well as several of the company’s most iconic products. 

The video: 

  • Shot like a Hollywood action flick, the video featured a rather humorous plot involving a group of thieves that mistakenly targeted a Tesla Model 3 driver. 
  • The Model 3 driver then ended up speaking to Tesla for assistance, and some high-octane and high-speed hijinks ensued.
  • While the short film featured several Tesla products like the Model 3, Superchargers, and the Cybertruck, it is Optimus that truly stole the show.
  • Optimus served several roles in the short film, from an assistant in a Tesla office to a “robocop” enforcer that helped out the Model 3 driver.

Cool inside jokes: 

  • The best Tesla videos are those that show an in-depth knowledge of the company, and SoKrispyMedia definitely had it. 
  • From the opening scenes alone, the video immediately poked fun at TSLA traders, the large number of gray Tesla owners, and the fact that many still do not understand Superchargers.
  • The video even poked fun at Tesla’s software updates, as well as how some Tesla drivers use Autopilot or other features without reading the fine print in the company’s release notes.
  • The video ended with a tour de force of references to Elon Musk products, from the Tesla Cybertruck to the Boring Company Not-a-Flamethrower, which was released back in 2018.

Check out SoKrispyMedia’s Tesla action short film in the video below.

Don’t hesitate to contact us with news tips. Just send a message to simon@teslarati.com to give us a heads up.

Continue Reading

Trending