A Challenger SRT Demon 170 raced a Tesla Model S to see if modern EVs can deal with true American muscle
- The Dodge Demon 170 took on a Tesla Model S Plaid in a drag race
- Both cars have 1,000+ hp and can do 0-60 in less than 2 seconds
- One vehicle emerged as a clear winner, but it was closer than expected
Published on Mar 02, 2025 at 5:00 PM (UTC+4)
by Alessandro Renesis
Last updated on Mar 02, 2025 at 5:00 PM (UTC+4)
Edited by
Alessandro Renesis
This Tesla Model S Plaid was pitted against a Dodge Challenger SRT Demon 170 in a drag race.
Both cars are incredibly fast, but obviously for different reasons and in entirely different ways.
Both can do 0-60 in less than 2 seconds.
But there can only be one winner.
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Tesla won, but with a catch
The Dodge Challenger SRT Demon 170 is designed specifically for this sort of thing and the drag strip is this car’s natural habitat.
It was actually the fastest car in the world when it first came out.
The 6.2-liter V8 is tuned to produce 1,025HP, has 945lb-feet of torque, and, in theory, does 0-60mph in 1.66 seconds.
The Model S Plaid, though is a totally different animal.
It doesn’t bark as loudly as the Demon does, but it’s just as fast.
Its all-electric unit gives it 1,020HP, 1,050lb-feet of torque, and Tesla says it can do 0-60mph in 1.99 seconds.
In the clip shared to YouTube by DragTimes, the Tesla Model S Plaid took on the Demon three times and won twice.
In the first race, the Demon took off like a bullet and left the Model S Plaid for dead.
But things changed during the second and third rounds, when the exact opposite happened.
The EV’s instant torque kicked in, and there was nothing the Demon could do about it.
Why EVs are often faster in a drag race
All things being equal, electric cars accelerate faster than gas cars, although internal combustion cars almost always win if there’s enough road ahead to catch up.
If there’s one thing that EVs can do it’s generate an enormous amount of torque off the line.
And some of these vehicles have enough torque to cancel out all the extra weight they carry in the form of the battery.
The Cybertruck Cyberbeast, for example, is apparently capable of beating anything in a quarter-mile drag race despite weighing around the same as a Saturn.
The record-breaking Cyberbeast has so far managed to beat a Porsche 911, a Lamborghini Aventador, and even other EVs, such as the GMC Hummer EV.
With a gas engine, your foot on the pedal translates into motion via a complicated process involving hundreds of components that perform their respective tasks in sequence.
With an EV, it’s like flicking a switch.
So here’s an important lesson for all you wannabe drag racers: Go EV!
Alessandro is an automotive journalist with 10 years of experience covering supercars, automotive history, emerging vehicle technology, and luxury transportation. He wrote the first article published on SupercarBlondie.com when the website launched in 2022 and has since built a reputation for insightful reporting across the automotive and transportation industries. His expertise is grounded in hands-on experience. Alessandro has driven every Tesla model ever produced, from the original Roadster to the Cybertruck, and regularly covers the latest developments in electric vehicles and automotive innovation. His passion for transportation extends beyond cars, he has even flown a Boeing 787 Dreamliner simulator in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia. His reporting spans everything from classic American muscle cars and rare automotive discoveries to luxury yachts, private aircraft, high-end watches, and cutting-edge vehicle technology. Known for his deep knowledge of automotive history and ability to uncover the stories behind iconic vehicles, Alessandro brings readers a blend of historical context, technical expertise, and first-hand experience.
