Drag Race: C8 Corvette Vs. Tesla Model 3
The result is surprisingly close.
With a starting price of only $58,995, the 2020 Chevrolet Corvette Stingray one of the best performance bargains on the market right now. Under the hood is a 6.2-liter V8 that sends 495 horsepower and 465 lb-ft of torque to the rear wheels with the Z51 package installed. This enables Chevrolet’s mid-engined monster to accelerate from 0-62 mph in 2.9 seconds and achieve a top speed of 194 mph. But as impressive as these figures are, the C8 Corvette is no match for the instant power and torque generated by a fully electric powertrain, as this drag race with a 2020 Tesla Model 3 Performance demonstrates.
Powered by a dual-motor setup, the Telsa Model 3 Performance produces a combined 480 hp and will accelerate from 0-62 mph in 3.2 seconds according to Tesla, but it also has the advantage of a four-wheel-drive system compared to the rear-wheel-drive Corvette. Both cars are completely stock. On paper, this should have been a close race, but the driver of the C8 Corvette seems to be asleep behind the wheel judging from their slow reaction time. The Tesla Model 3 Performance gets a massive head start and leaves the Corvette for dust.
However, according to the video description the Corvette driver “wasn’t concerned” about their reaction time and just wanted to get a good start because the “numbers would speak for themselves.”
Despite the Corvette’s slow start, this drag race was surprisingly close: the Corvette Stingray did the quarter-mile in 11.73 seconds at 116.94 mph, while the Tesla Model 3 posted a time of 11.53 seconds at 116.52 mph. We already know a stock C8 Corvette is capable of doing the quarter-mile in under 11 seconds in the right hands.
The C8 Corvette couldn’t catch up with the Model 3 before the finish line, but if the driver was more alert, the gap would have been even narrower. Just imagine what the Corvette would be capable of with an all-electric powertrain. We’ll hopefully find out one day, as General Motors is reportedly working on a fully electric Corvette capable of hitting 200 mph.