Tesla Model 3 Leaves Smoking Diesels Behind: Race Video

There are things that simply happen and leave no memories whatsoever. But there are others that are more than what they seem at first sight. They are metaphors. Signs of times. Is there anything more emblematic than a Tesla Model 3 leaving smoking diesel cars behind in a drag strip? We can think of nothing that would represent the zeitgeist more than this.

This happened in Fátima, more widely known as a religious destination in Portugal than for its love for speed. All the drivers that tried to compete with the Model 3 must have asked for miracles after making numerous changes to their turbodiesel cars in order to be faster.

More EV Drag Race News:

The “fumarentos” – or smoking diesel cars, in Portuguese – go through changes in turbocharger pressure, valve dimensions and others that sometimes make these cars be twice as powerful as they originally were.

For obvious reasons, even people that love all kinds of cars – such as our friends at Razão Automóvel – really loathe these illegal changes and even ask the Portuguese government to be more severe in inspecting these cars and restricting these modifications.

Perhaps this will not be necessary. The goal with these cars is to make them "fast and furious" on the streets, but they do not resist a single confrontation with a stock Tesla Model 3 Performance. Which makes people wonder if it is any use spending a lot of money in changes just to play this pitiful role on drag strips.

The car that was closer to the Model 3 was a possibly modified first-generation Subaru Impreza that did a 11.524 seconds pass on the quarter-mile. The Model 3 did it in 11.47 s.

Despite our friends telling us that the driver did not have much experience and was just trying to test his car in a controlled environment, it’s times were pretty impressive. The best one was 11.390 s, way below the best time we have ever registered for the Model 3.

According to a text published last July, 11.560 s was the best time this Tesla has ever achieved on the drag strip. Apparently, we have better times on the table for a stock Tesla Model 3 Performance.

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In case you hear about anyone doing better with this car, please let us know. Don’t forget to enjoy the show above. And remember a stock Tesla Model S Raven was able to clock 10.546 s...

Thanks for the hat tip, Richard!

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