Tesla’s best advertising and marketing stunt of all time might be its most up-to-date—towing a Porsche 911 down a drag strip behind its new Cybertruck whereas racing a 911. It was extraordinarily intelligent, and we’re nonetheless speaking about it greater than a month after it occurred—so there isn’t any debating that it wasn’t efficient.

There was only one downside that we referred to as out: the precise race filmed was over an eighth of a mile. The video implied (and CEO Elon Musk flat-out claimed) that the Cybertruck is quicker than the Porsche 911 within the quarter mile whereas towing the 911. It seems that is not precisely the entire fact.

In style YouTuber Jason Fenske, who is healthier identified by his channel’s deal with, Engineering Defined, lately put out a video on this very subject exhibiting the maths behind Tesla’s claims. This led to the lead engineer of the Tesla Cybertruck, Wes Morrill, chiming in to assist make clear a number of the occasions that occurred that day:

The quickest 1/8mi CT hit whereas towing on the day was 7.808s at 88mph and the trailer tires had been solely rated to 80mph so we opted to name it a day earlier than somebody acquired damage. Our simulations confirmed the complete 1/4 mi race could be shut however with the identical web consequence, so no have to threat it. We additionally had some room to additional light-weight the trailer however did not have to.

Morril additionally revealed that the video used within the promotional trailer (no pun supposed) was not truly the Cybetruck’s quickest run down the strip. It was, nonetheless, probably the most dramatic end that confirmed the pair neck-and-neck.

Now, after Jason’s video was printed, Motortrend confirmed that its testing revealed an eighth-mile time of 8.0 seconds for the 2023 Porsche 911 Carrera T geared up with a handbook transmission. Morril claims that the Cybertruck was in a position to pull off its stunt in 7.808 seconds whereas towing, which signifies that it was certainly nonetheless faster than the Porsche.

However what in regards to the quarter mile? Properly, Morril says that Tesla’s simulations calculated that the Cybertruck would additionally beat out the Porsche within the quarter whereas towing, in order that, together with the protection points, resulted in a purely theoretical declare.

All of this might have been prevented if Tesla hadn’t dissolved its press division a while in the past. Most of these questions may have been clarified instantly from the automaker moderately than ready for its lead engineer to chime in on X. However then Tesla would not get all of this free press protection, would it not?

All that being stated, some YouTuber will virtually undoubtedly attempt to repeat this check with their very own Cybertruck sooner or later in time, issues of safety be damned. If that occurs, I am certain the world will get the outcomes it has been hoping to see for the reason that video was first debunked as a quarter-mile run.