There was no way that Tesla was going to allow its Model S Plaid to be second fastest EV around the Nurburgring for long. Especially not with the Porsche Taycan Turbo S just a tantalising couple of seconds ahead. Now, equipped with the recently launched Track Pack, a Model S has apparently been back to the Nordschleife – and returned with a 10-second improvement to its lap time.

Tesla has posted a video of a 7:25.231, a huge improvement on the old 7:35.579 and comfortably ahead of the Porsche’s 7:33.35 as well. (That brake upgrade really is worth a lot!) Though Tesla pitches this as an ‘official production vehicle lap time’, it isn’t yet on the Nurburgring’s website. So it wouldn’t be right to shout it from the rooftops right away, but this new Plaid is seemingly so far ahead that whatever the verified time is, top-dog status seems assured.

Even just watching old lap versus new lap reveals some pretty stark differences, which begin with having an actual steering wheel to hold instead of a yoke – that must be worth a second or two in confidence. But this Plaid Track Pack accelerates, brakes and turns with more speed than the old car, so much so that the 10-second gap is believable before the Model S is even at the bottom of the Foxhole. (The old peak speed down there was 227kph; this time it was 254kph.) There’s not a point on the track where this updated car doesn’t seem faster, even if some of the corner speeds look a little down compared to other cars capable of this sort of lap time. Certainly makes up for it down the straights…

As a reminder, the Track Pack unlocks the 200mph potential of the Model S (it clocks 289kph, or 179mph, down Hohe-Acht), as well as fitting forged wheels, carbon ceramic brakes with uprated pads and ‘track-ready’ tyres. Certainly does as advertised! Though the validity of fastest production EV around the ‘ring could be debated until the cows come home (after which we could move on to charging at tracks), it seems clear that Tesla now builds it. Your move, Porsche – bring on that Taycan Turbo GT, eh?