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A 2022 Tesla Model S Plaid just lapped the Virginia International Raceway (VIR) Grand Course in 2:50.7.That’s a notable 4.5 seconds quicker than we recorded with a Porsche Taycan Turbo S at our 2021 Lightning Lap.The Model S Plaid had aftermarket carbon-ceramic front brakes and was driven by a professional, but it wore standard Michelin Pilot Sport 4S tires.We’ve long known that Teslas can be absurdly quick in a straight line, but they’ve never really shone when they had to turn a hot lap. That type of performance has so far been reserved for Porsche’s all-electric phenom, the four-door Taycan. However, the tables have turned, because a Tesla Model S Plaid just posted a quicker lap time around a big-time racetrack than a Porsche Taycan Turbo S.

With a professional driver behind the yoke, and some aftermarket front brakes, Carmine Cupani’s privately owned ’22 Model S Plaid on stock Michelin Pilot Sport 4S rubber lapped VIR’s Grand Course in 2:50.7, according to a video posted on Cupani’s YouTube channel. That means the Plaid’s time beats the 2:55.2 lap we set with a 2020 Porsche Taycan Turbo S at last year’s Lightning Lap. The 4.5 ticks that separate the Tesla from the Porsche are especially impressive since a 2016 Model S P85D we tried to run at VIR several years ago couldn’t even complete a single lap under full power, let alone set a record. In a phone interview with Car and Driver, Cupani says the Plaid’s Track mode played a big role in breaking the record because it effectively kept the battery and electric motors cool during each 20-minute session. He said in Track mode that the Plaid’s prodigious power felt easier to manage and that the accelerator’s responses felt more linear. It all went down at Car and Driver’s track-day event held on March 15 at VIR, which gave regular folks a chance to test their skills in their cars on the same Grand Course configuration that we use for our annual Lightning Lap. In the case of the Model S Plaid, Cupani had his friend and pro driver Johan Schwartz set the record lap. In between track sessions, the two would drive to the nearest Tesla Supercharger about 25 minutes from VIR, spend another 40 minutes getting a full charge, and then drive back, all the while discussing different strategies to take down the Taycan.As shown in the video, Schwartz does a masterful job driving the Model S Plaid around the Grand Course, including one sphincter-clenching moment when disaster almost struck. At the 1:03-minute mark in the video, Schwartz can be seen climbing the esses at about 120 mph when he nearly loses control. For a split-second, Schwartz frantically saws at the Tesla’s much-derided yoke before somehow saving the car and the lap. “I was shitting my pants looking at that video,” Cupani laughed nervously over the phone.Also detailed in the three-minute video that was posted on YouTube today are modifications Cupani made to the Tesla. The Model S Plaid is apparently fitted with Unplugged Performance’s carbon-ceramic front-brake kit, which Cupani says has smaller-diameter rotors and smaller-size calipers than Tesla’s upcoming $20,000 carbon-ceramic brake package. It is also claimed in the video that the rear calipers and rotors are completely stock. As previously mentioned, the wheel-and-tire setup is said to be stock, too, featuring 21-inch Arachnid wheels wrapped with Michelin Pilot Sport 4S tires that are currently part of a $4500 package on the Model S.The ’22 Model S Plaid currently starts at $131,440. It’s the first Tesla that’s powered by three electric motors (one at the front and two at the rear), which combine to generate 1020 horsepower and 1050 pound-feet of torque. The version we tested hit 60 mph in 2.1 seconds and completed the quarter-mile in 9.4 seconds at 151 mph. For comparison, a 2022 Taycan Turbo S starts at $186,350 and has a 750-hp dual-electric-motor setup with a unique two-speed transmission. The last Taycan Turbo S we tested hit 60 mph in 2.4 seconds and finished the quarter-mile in 10.5 ticks at 130 mph.
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• Our Bring a Trailer pick of the day is this 1962 Chevrolet Corvair 95 Rampside pickup, up for auction until Tuesday, March 22.• This one’s a bit of a project as it needs some cosmetic and mechanical repairs to get it back into fighting shape.• We love the vintage look and think the side-mounted ramp to the bed is a novel feature that might make sense on modern pickup trucks, too.Today’s auction pick from the Bring a Trailer website—which, like Car and Driver, is part of Hearst Autos—is this old but cool 1962 Chevy Corvair 95 Rampside pickup truck. Okay, it’s a little rough around the edges, but hear us out: Small pickups are back in style. Right? And the Ford Maverick may wear a vintage name across its tailgate, but this old Chevy is actually vintage.

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Originally part of Chevy’s lineup of rear-engined Corvairs, the Rampside pickup featured a side door that folded down to serve as a ramp, allowing cargo to be loaded into the bed right from the curb. Maybe such a feature could be added to improve the functionality of the next Silverado.

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The interior appears to be in pretty good shape for its age, and the gray and beige color scheme presents an appealing contrast with the truck’s green exterior color. There’s some rust, obviously, and the roof sports a smattering of rust, er, patina, but we think that’s part of the charm. It’s up to the buyer on whether or not to give the truck a respray, but we kind of dig the appearance as it is.

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A horizontally opposed air-cooled flat-six engine, teamed with a three-speed manual transmission, drives the rear wheels. The engine is accessible by lifting a flap inside the bed. The engine made 80 horsepower when it was new, so don’t get any ideas of towing an Airstream trailer with this rig.

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The seller has done some repairs to get it running for the sale, including replacing the fuel pump, carburetor, and brake lines, so a buyer can expect that the truck runs and drives. It’s going to need some work to make it truly roadworthy, but with that in mind, it will make anyone’s fleet a bit more distinctive. The auction ends on Tuesday, March 22, and with five days to go, bidding on this no-reserve truck was only at $4400.
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Maserati will launch an electric version of the GranTurismo called Folgore.It claims 1200 horsepower from three electric motors and a top speed of 186 mph.Folgore EV versions of other Maserati models will arrive within the next few years.Maserati will launch a range of electric models that will wear the Folgore name—the Italian word for lightning. To emphasize these EVs’ focus on performance, Maserati says that the upcoming GranTurismo Folgore will offer over 1200 horsepower from three electric motors and claims it will accelerate to 62 mph in less than 3.0 seconds and reach a top speed of 186 mph. A photo of a camouflaged GranTurismo prototype shows the four-seat coupe’s styling ahead of its official reveal that will take place later this year.

There will also be Folgore versions of the upcoming Grecale SUV and the MC20 supercar coming within the next year, along with a convertible GranCabrio version of the GranTurismo. The next generation Quattroporte sedan and Levante SUV will be offered only as EVs and are slated to arrive in 2025. Maserati did not mention the Ghibli sedan as part of its future-product plan and confirmed that it will eventually disappear from the lineup after this generation runs its course.These Folgore models will ride on various platforms and not all of these upcoming EVs will adopt parent company Stellantis’ range of new EV-specific platforms. The Grecale, for instance, rides on the same Giorgio platform as the Alfa Romeo Stelvio and the electric Folgore model will use a modified version of this architecture.By 2030, all Maserati models will be electric and gasoline engines will no longer be part of the lineup. The new GranTurismo, though, will still offer a gasoline version. Look for more details to come soon on these future models, as the Grecale and Grecale Folgore will debut next week.
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The Audi A6 Avant e-tron concept is a wagon version of the electric A6 that Audi showed last year.The A6 Avant e-tron will ride on the new PPE platform, and its two electric motors provide 469 horsepower and 590 pound-feet of torque.The Avant is unlikely to reach the U.S. market, but we could get a lifted Allroad model and potentially a sporty RS variant.If you remember last year’s Audi A6 e-tron concept, which previewed an electric version of the company’s mid-size sedan, then the A6 Avant e-tron concept revealed today will feel familiar. This stylish concept teases a wagon variant of the electric A6 due in 2024 and features much of the same design and technology seen on the first A6 e-tron concept—but the long roof makes it even more fetching to our eye.
The A6 Avant e-tron is similar in length to the gas-powered A6 wagon—which is currently offered in the United States as a lifted Allroad model and a high-performance RS6 Avant—but it is wider than the beefy RS6 and two inches lower. Audi claims a coefficient of drag of just 0.24. The classic Audi grille hides air intakes for cooling the battery, motors, and brakes as well as air curtains to smoothly channel air around the side of the vehicle. Compared to the A6 e-tron sedan, the rear diffuser gets more pronounced tunnels to reduce lift.The A6 e-tron and Avant will ride on the Volkswagen Group’s scalable PPE platform, which will also underpin an electric Porsche Macan and an Audi Q6 e-tron SUV. This new architecture includes an 800-volt system and up to 270 kilowatts of charging capacity. Audi says this will allow the electric A6 to gain around 186 miles of range in just 10 minutes when connected to a fast charger. Going from five to 80 percent will take under 25 minutes, Audi claims.
The A6 Avant e-tron features an approximately 100.0-kWh battery, with Audi aiming for up to 435 miles of range on the European WLTP test cycle for the production car. Like the sedan, the A6 Avant e-tron features two electric motors good for a total of 469 horsepower and 590 pound-feet of torque. The quickest A6 Avant e-tron models will hit 62 mph in under four seconds, and even entry-level models will sprint to 62 mph in under seven seconds, Audi claims. The PPE architecture will allow for both single-motor rear-wheel-drive and dual-motor configurations with all-wheel drive. The car rides on air suspension and 22-inch wheels and gets cameras instead of side-view mirrors, a feature that is still not legal in the U.S.Also like the sedan, the matrix LED and OLED lighting tech on the A6 Avant e-tron provides lots of fun party tricks. Projectors in the side of the body greet passengers with messages cast onto the ground beside the vehicle, and they can also project practical messages such as a warning symbol to oncoming cyclists that someone is about to open the door. Audi even says that, when the vehicle is parked, the projectors can display a video game on a wall while the passengers play inside.

The concept represents around 95 percent of the production design, and Audi said “never say never,” when asked about the wagon’s U.S. availability. The company hinted that we will get versions “positioned a little bit higher,” which likely refers to ride height and insinuates a future Allroad variant. There also may be a high-performance RS model sold stateside. When the A6 Avant e-tron arrives in 2024, it will be sold alongside the combustion-engine A6.
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