Zac Quinn 
Last week, during the Tesla Cybertruck “delivery event,” an epic video showcasing the Cybertruck taking on a Porsche 911 down a quarter-mile was showcased. The video was made more remarkable when the camera cut to a shot of the Cybertruck towing an identical spec’d 911 in a trailer behind it as it crossed the finish line with the other 911 hot on its heels. Unfortunately, the race was filmed over a significantly shorter eight-mile distance, not a quarter-mile. And it’s not the first time Tesla pulled off some cinematic trickery to make the Cybertruck appear more capable than it actually is. This is why we have trust issues.
Is The Cybertruck Really Quicker Than A Porsche 911 While Towing?
Over on Reddit, a user noticed the race was held at the now-closed Sacramento Raceway. The stills from Tesla’s footage reveal that the Cybertruck and Porsche were set up to race across the first set of thick lines painted on the track, which are located at the eight-mile marker alongside the grandstands. During the press conference, Tesla CEO Elon Musk was adamant that it was a proper quarter-mile drag. With the grandstands not extending to the quarter-mile marker of the track, there’s no denying this is an eighth-of-a-mile.
Since the Porsche was seen creeping up on the Cybertruck as it crossed the finish line, the outcome of a race held over a full quarter-mile may not have been the same. Even so, the stunt was epic. It managed to get people commending the automaker for marketing a flagship product four years in the making. Tesla claims that the highest trim Cyberbeast of its truck is capable of running a quarter mile in under 11 seconds, though that’s likely without towing a 3,300-pound sports coupe on a 1,500-pound trailer.
It also needs to be clarified how Tesla’s dealer-lot Porsche 911 was spec’d. It could be the lowest trim, dubbed the 911 Carrera, which crosses the quarter mile in around 12.2 seconds and offers a 0-60 mph spring in 3.9 seconds (with a manual transmission). It seems like Tesla’s track car used a manual transmission, as the nose of the car dips when shifting into second gear during the race. There’s no denying that the Cybertruck truck is quick to 60, even if it’s towing. But it appears to be mathematically impossible to be faster than a Porsche 911 in a quarter-mile drag race while pulling another 911. Someone may recreate this stunt once they get their hands on the truck, and hopefully, they don’t fudge the test like Tesla did.
