Elon Musk Says Tesla Model S Set Record For 'Fastest 4-Door' At Laguna Seca

Yes, a Tesla Model S might indeed have broken a speed record but it wasn’t the one most people were expecting at Nürburgring in Germany.

Tesla Inc. on Wednesday morning tweeted the stunning news a Model S driven by an amateur driver from Tesla’s development team had set the new world record for a four-door sedan at the WeatherTech Raceway Laguna Seca paved road racing track in Salinas, California.

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 posted a video of the feat.

Tesla noted this time was a second faster than the previous record for a four-door sedan. Musk first revealed the record attempt less than a day earlier in a tweet.

“Model S just set record for fastest 4 door ever at Laguna Seca, video tmrw.”

No word if this was an official world record setting attempt, though. Musk also gave no information regarding the specifics of this alleged record attempt. But, as promised, Tesla did release a video of this run.

Tesla’s world record claim follows Musk's announcement a Model S will soon be at the famed Nürburgring Nordschleife. Many fans claimed it could aim to break the record for the fastest lap for a four-door electric vehicle (EV).

A Taycan ran the course in a record 7 minutes and 42 seconds on Aug. 26. This record was set in a pre-series Taycan driven by Lars Kern.

Musk later walked back on claims a Model S will try to shatter this record time at Nürburgring. He did, however, confirm the Model S is already in Germany for the test run.

"But we probably won’t try for best lap time this week, as we need to review & tune Model S thoroughly for safety on Nürburgring, especially Flugplatz section."

A Tesla representative revealed that the Model S will be joining an Industry Pool testing at Nürburgring and will not be able to do timed lapses at the circuit. It will also not be able to attempt to break the Porsche Taycan's record.

“Tesla is excited to be a part of the Industry Pool testing community next week at the Nürburgring. Our participation is confirmed and contracted by the Nürburgring,” said a Tesla spokesperson.