Porsche Taycan Beats Tesla Model S In A Drag Race [Watch]

As we predicted back in September, the next big thing in the growing rivalry between Porsche and Tesla Inc. will be a drag race between the newly revealed Porsche Taycan and the long-in-the-tooth Tesla Model S.

The Taycan Turbo and Turbo S were both unveiled on Sept. 5 in launch events in Germany and Canada. The newer, and "cheaper," Taycan 4S was revealed only this week. The Model S first came off the production line in 2012.

What we didn't expect, however, was for the Taycan to "win" a race -- or any race -- between these two powerful electric machines. The Model S has a faster top speed, faster acceleration to 100 km/h, bigger motors and more powerful torque than any Taycan, so the question now is, "What happened?"

But first, the specifics of this "drag race."

* This "drag race" took place in Germany and was staged by the German TV show, Auto Mobil. So, the commentary is in German (of course).

* The racers were a Porsche Taycan Turbo S and a Tesla Model S P100D.

* There were two races: one was a straight line race with an obstable course at the end; the other a down and out "drag race."

* The races took place in the rain.

The Turbo S won the first race with a speed of 97 km/h to the Tesla's 90 km/h. The second wasn't even close. The Taycan left the Model S standing.

What happened? It would be a stretch to consider this drag race a real drag race given the way it took place and the weather conditions. No one runs a legit drag race in the rain!

Granted the Taycan can "offer reproducible performance and a top speed which can be maintained for long periods," this edge wasn't applicable to a drag race lasting only a few seconds.

So, until someone can stage a real race in real race conditions, we'll have to call this drag race a farce.