A tweet shared last week by Tesla CEO Elon Musk informed enthusiasts across the world that the Model S would be taking on the Nürburgring racetrack in Western Germany.
As the Silicon Valley-based carmaker is gearing up to take on the 14.173-mile famed race track, speculation continues regarding whether the Model S Performance will be able to beat the time set by a Porsche Taycan prototype on the “Green Hell”. A Model S, different from the one that Elon Musk sent to Germany, was seen running spirited laps at the Nürburgring.
A new Model S Raven was spotted this week running two separate laps on the circuit. The video, posted by Automotive Mike, comes on the heels of Tesla’s announcement that an R&D Model S with three electric motors as part of a development “Plaid powertrain” broke the four-door production car record at Laguna Seca Raceway in California. It is rumored that the car Tesla will officially test at the famed German racetrack will run the same upgraded Plaid powertrain, along with upgraded tires. This feeds into the idea that the Model S “Raven” seen in the recently shared video is being used for research purposes only.
Model S at Nürburgring has 7 seats
— Elon Musk (@elonmusk) September 12, 2019
Viewers are able to compare both the Model S “Raven” and Taycan Turbo S running through turns “Eschbach” and “Brünnchen”, as Automotive Mike also shared a video of Porsche’s Turbo S trim taking laps at the Nürburgring a few days ago.
It remains to be seen if the Tesla Model S “Raven” spotted today will be the selected vehicle to run at the pinnacle of performance testing in the near future. All signs point to a separate Model S, modified with wide fender flares, performance tires and a spoiler, to be the chosen ride that will challenge the Porsche Taycan’s record of 7 minutes 42 seconds.
Watch video of the Tesla Model S “Raven” running laps at the Nürburgring track: