The Tesla Model S P90D with Ludicrous mode is rated 0-60 in 2.8 seconds. That’s even faster than a 2017 Corvette Grand Sport, which Chevy rates at 3.6 seconds. While the Gran Sport is set up for the track and the Model S is a street car, the point is the Tesla is very fast off the line, with plenty of torque.
Some think this dad’s challenge to his son is based on a story told by Tesla co-founder Martin Eberhard, according to Electrek. Apparently when Tesla was first showing investors the potential of electric cars it used a prototype from AC Propulsion called the TZero. The TZero was fast (0-60 in 3.6 seconds), but looked like a go-kart. Eberhard would challenge passengers to touch the dash when he took off.
But in fact the story didn’t originate with Eberhard — it has probably been around since the first person who wanted to impress someone else with how fast their car was. One rumor has it that Carroll Shelby started it with the introduction of the 427 Cobra.
To add some lore, I first heard the story myself about a 1962 Chevy Impala SS409 that an older kid in our town owned and it involved a $20 bill (the equivalent of $157.68 today, allowing for inflation). The SS409 was rated at 6.3 seconds to 60 without modification, according to Motor Trend. Today you can hit 60 in about that time with a 2016 v-6 Impala, and a 2016 Tahoe can get there in 6.7 seconds, but in 1962 it was a big deal. Anyone who tried the $20 bill challenge in the ’62 SS409 failed, as far as I heard. (I never had the chance, I was too young.)
You’ll have to watch the video to see if the boy was able to reach the $100. And apparently this isn’t the only Tesla in the family, because the boy says “the blue one is faster” and a pop-up of a blue Tesla Model X shows on the screen. There’s also some serious dashtop hardware recording the video, speed, and timing. If you’re concerned about safety or the environment with this challenge, the car in the video didn’t go over 65 miles an hour and we can at least be reassured that no carbon was released from the engine.
