Elon Musk Drops Biggest News On New Tesla Model S Prototype

Bit by bit, we're learning more and more about the upcoming "Plaid Model S prototype" from tweet after tweet being unleashed by Tesla CEO Elon Musk.

The drama that began last weekend with hints at a record-breaking attempt at Nürburgring (which hasn't materialized) has spawned a succession of intriguing tweets from Musk hinting at the bold new features of what some are calling the Plaid Model S prototype.

First off, Musk confirmed this machine had set a new record at the WeatherTech Raceway Laguna Seca racing track in Salinas, California on Wednesday.

Tesla Inc. had earlier tweeted the stunning news a Plaid Model S driven by an amateur driver from its development team had set the new world record for a four-door sedan at the WeatherTech Raceway.

It tweeted, “We lapped Laguna Seca in 1:36.555 during advanced R&D testing of our Model S Plaid powertrain and chassis prototype.” It also posed a video on the same tweet that announced the feat.

Tesla said this time was a second faster than the previous record for a four-door sedan set by a gasoline-powered machine.

Musk first revealed the record attempt less than a day earlier in a tweet. No word if this was an official world record setting attempt, though.

Then, Musk later went on to say this record was set by the brand new Plaid powertrain driven by three (not two) motors. The record was also made possible by a chassis prototype that accommodated this bulkier powertrain.

On Thursday, Musk again added another puzzling piece to the mix by tweeting this Model S prototype will seat seven people instead of the usual five. This option looks patently impossible unless he’s referring to adding two rear-facing kiddie seats (or a 5+2 configuration) to this electric vehicle (EV); or did they add a third row of seats to an already cramped luxury sedan, which will mean a redesign.

But Musk said this 7-seater is in existence by tweeting, “Model S at Nürburgring has 7 seats.”

It's worth noting the Model S is the only other 5-seater among Tesla's EVs (the Model 3 being the other). There's a third row on the upcoming Tesla Model Y crossover utility vehicle that allows total seating for seven passengers. The Model X can also seat seven adults. So, it doesn’t seem much of a surprise a seven-seater Model S is in the works.

Musk can be trusted to tweet photos of the interior of the 7-seater Model S to prove his point such a beast does indeed exist.