A rather intriguing race took place a few days ago between a Porsche 911 Turbo S and an unsightly 2001 Honda Odyssey van. You’d think the outcome is clear, but better take a closer look at the contenders.
The owner of the bulky, heavy-looking van actually drove a Tesla Model S Plaid all along. The chassis, the cabin and the powertrain – everything but the bodywork is Tesla. As a result, the wheels get hit with 1,033 PS (1,020 hp / 760 kW) coming from three electric motors. Granted, the high-drag body dampens the dynamics somewhat, but that’s what you get when you go for the ultimate sleeper build.
At first, the owner of the aptly named “Plaidessey” takes on a couple of normal cars, including a stock Tesla Model S and a strongly tuned Audi. It prevails easily.
Things get interesting when Cleetus McFarland, the famous driver and owner of the Freedom Factory circuit where the action takes place, joins in on the fun. He’s piloting a carefully tuned Porsche 911 (991) Turbo S that pumps out way more than its usual 588 PS (580 hp / 432 kW) to the wheels.
In the end, the Plaidessey driver loses both lap runs, but that’s not much of a defeat. First of all, he clearly lacks McFarland’s years of track driving experience. Second, he manages to go shoulder-to-shoulder with McFarland much of the time and even scores a very close finish during his second attempt. Doing it in a car shaped like an Odyssey van has to be tricky, wouldn’t you agree?
At any rate, we suggest watching the whole video.