This matchup was bound to happen.
In the near lane, you've got a 2015 Dodge Challenger SRT Hellcat, a 707-horse dream machine seemingly built as the vehicular embodiment of "AMERICA, F**K YEAH"—a retro-styled ICBM on wheels, one that Dodge says will do the quarter-mile in 11.2 at 125 on street tires.
In the far lane sits the Tesla Model S P85D, a dual-motor, all-wheel-drive sport sedan that turns battery output into electric speed to the tune of 691 horses. Thanks to massive torque at zero RPM, the party trick of every electric motor, Tesla says the silent screamer will mop the floor with the Porsche Panamera Turbo S.
There's only one way to settle this grudge.
Drag racing looks astoundingly simple: aim the steering wheel and mash throttle, right? But it's a driving activity defined by don'ts—don't go sideways, don't lift, don't sacrifice thrust to wheelspin. It's also a game of nuance and restraint, an outwardly-violent assault on aerodynamics and momentum that rewards driver finesse, even restraint.
Especially when you're strapped into a 707-horsepower, lime-green burnout machine, and you're lined up against an all-wheel-drive future-tech rocket full of computers dedicated to the task of maintaining traction.
Don't think this fight is settled—not by a long shot.
The Tesla's 11.6 blast at 114.6 may have set a new world record for production electric vehicles. But the Challenger choked, plain and simple. All that wheelspin and a balky start (evidenced by a 3.615-second 60-foot time) made the Hellcat a non-competitor.
We know firsthand how hard it is to get a proper launch from the mighty Hellcat. The Model S P85D has shown us what it's capable of. The gauntlet has been thrown. We can't wait for the rematch.
viaJalopnik
Bob Sorokanich previously served as deputy editor of Road & Track Magazine. He is based in New York City.
