![You thought only Daihatsu cheated? No, the Tesla Cybertruck didn't beat the Porsche 911 while towing another 01]()
It was a short and powerful video that was sure to grab the world’s attention, firstly for the worldwide interest in the Tesla Cybertruck and the fact that it beat the most prolific sportscar of all time, the Porsche 911 - in a drag race.
CEO of Tesla Motors, Elon Musk even trumpeted that the Cybertruck is quicker in a drag race towing a 911 than a 911 doing it under its own power. Which served to highlight just how powerful and adept the Cybertruck is. And in truth, yes, the Cybertruck is an impressive feat of engineering, but faster than a 911 in a drag race… it isn’t!
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Enter Jason Fenske, the host of popular YouTube channel Engineering Explained, who used maths and logical assumptions to prove that Tesla lied about its claim.
The most shocking revelation was the Tesla didn’t even complete the 1/4 (402 metres) drag race but only ran for a 1/8 mile (201 metres). Running the full quarter mile would have certainly had different results.
When the video was published, it was a mathematical assumption. But a Tesla engineer later confirmed the allegations, with their reasonings.
![You thought only Daihatsu cheated? No, the Tesla Cybertruck didn't beat the Porsche 911 while towing another 01]()
The Cybertruck's lead engineer, Wes Morrill replied on Fenske's Youtube channel, “So why didn't we do a full 1/4-mile? The fastest 1/8-mile time hit while towing on the day was 7.8 seconds at 88mph (141 km/h) and the trailer tires were only rated to 80 mph (129 km/h) so we opted to call it a day before someone got hurt. Our simulations showed the full 1/4 mile race would be close but with the same net result, so no need to risk it.”
Of course, that’s a fair rebuttal, trailers are not meant for racing. However, to run a race, and call it a win before your competitors catch up isn’t graceful either. The last 1/8 mile would have made all the difference, where the 911's aerodynamic advantage, gearing and higher top speed – 300 km/h versus the Cybertruck's 209 km/h – all come into their own.
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