If you’re Chris Harris, host of Top Gear and one of the most prolific motoring journalists working today, and you somehow haven’t reviewed the super quick Tesla Model S, you’re going to need to save face – like racing it against the incredible Porsche 911 R.
The Tesla Model S P100D came out over a year ago, and even then it was an update of the P90D, and even that was just the performance model of the original Model S. It’s been around for so many years, it’s already had a styling refresh. And yet Mr. Harris has only just now reviewed one.
Not to linger over why the Model S deserves to be respectfully reviewed, and its importance in the market (at least among a very vocal segment of enthusiasts and consumers), and all that stuff. It’s just an extremely capable machine as evidenced by all of those supercars defeated in drag race videos, as Harris points out.
The best part of this video is the moment Harris gets out of the Tesla Model S P100D, which he deems a praiseworthy experience, to try and beat it with a Porsche 911 R. Now, the Tesla beats the Porsche to 100 mph, and 193km/h, but only Harris manages to overtake the Tesla before hitting 241km/h.
That’s a testament to the engineering of the 911 R, and to the sheer abilities of Mr. Harris himself. The review also managed to bring up some surprisingly practical notes on the Model S on the bumpy roads, claiming the ride is a bit off-putting and nauseating in some everyday circumstances. I’m not sure I’ve heard that before.
Well there you go Chris. You successfully did it, finally. Was it probably just so that Tesla will eventually want to lend you a Model 3 to review? Maybe. Was it worth it? Of course it was.