Going 190 MPH In A Tesla Model S Plaid At The Nurburgring Is Terrifying

The owner of this Tesla Model S Plaid with the Track Package swapped out the front seats for sporty Recaro chairs and ripped out the rear bench to strip weight out of the performance-focused EV. The owner lets his girlfriend and a buddy take the lightly modified EV for a lap of the Nürburgring Nordschleife. At one point, they both get a bit flustered.

There’s a moderate amount of traffic on the ‘Ring during this run. The driver had to deal with some other cars, but no motorcycles showed up.

The scary moment happens at the straight section before the Schwedenkreuz corner. The acceleration to get there starts at about four minutes and 33 seconds in this video. The driver puts the throttle down, and the Tesla accelerates effortlessly. At around 177 mph (285 kph), the woman in the passenger seat starts looking nervously at the speedometer. The driver starts slowing down at 190 mph (306 kph) for the upcoming turn.

He gives a big sigh afterward and says, “Okay, I’m good.” The driver thinks he hit 186 mph (299 kph), but the speedometer clearly shows an even higher speed. He also says, “I’m not sure if we hit 300 [kph], but I don’t want to try it again.”

At the end of the video, the man and the woman talk a bit more about the car. The driver says that the Model S’ performance means you must brake sooner because you’re traveling faster. As an example of this, he mentions, “The Schwedenkreuz entry was interesting.” The passenger laughs in agreement.

Shortly before reaching the Karussel corner, the driver mentioned that the Tesla was cutting back power. At this point, the battery is at 66 percent, and the car started at 95 percent. By the end of the lap, the pack is at 53 percent.

The Track Package for the Model S Plaid adds quite a bit of equipment. It includes carbon-silicon carbide brake rotors with forged calipers and high-performance pads. There are also 20-inch wheels, but this owner plans to switch to lighter 19-inch pieces. The top speed increases to 200 mph. The upgrade adds $20,000 to the vehicle’s price.