Tesla Model 3 cleans the drag strip of smoke-belching diesels in multiple races

There is just something symbolic about seeing a white Tesla Model 3 Performance taking on modified, smoke-belching diesel racers on the drag strip. Perhaps it’s a notable sign of the changing times, or perhaps it’s a wake-up call to automotive enthusiasts who still doubt the electric revolution. Either way, there is some satisfaction to be had in seeing a zero-emissions vehicle like the Tesla Model 3 match and beat its gas-powered rivals in multiple drag races.

A recent example of this transpired at a drag strip in Fátima, Portugal earlier this month. As could be seen in a video shared in the CrAzYDr1veR YouTube channel, a Model 3 Performance ended up facing multiple opponents, all of which are powered by the internal combustion engine, two of which being more polluting than the rest.

There are a variety of ways to tune a diesel engine, and some of them, such as the unfortunate coal-rolling trend in some parts of the United States, results in vehicles emitting far more smoke than normal. While harmful to the air (and arguably to the lungs as well), these diesel mods usually result in more power and speed, making the practice persistently popular among their niche communities.

Unfortunately for the gas-powered racers in the recently shared video, they ended up being paired with a Tesla Model 3 Performance, which is equipped with two electric motors that give instant torque. This allows the four-door sedan to accelerate from 0-60 mph at speeds of up to 3.2 seconds. As could be seen in the recently shared video, this resulted in several racers, including two especially smoke-belching diesels, being grossly outmatched in the drag strip.

A Mercedes-Benz wagon and a Subaru Imprezza gave the Model 3 Performance a good fight, though both ended up crossing the quarter-mile mark behind the electric sedan nonetheless. The Model 3’s most capable challenger was the seemingly-modified Imprezza, which completed the race in 11.52 seconds, just 0.05 seconds later than the family sedan’s 11.47-second time.

Rather amusingly, a commenter on CrAzYDr1veR‘s Model 3 drag racing video noted that the owner of the Model 3 went to the strip just to have some fun while testing his vehicle’s capabilities in a controlled environment. Little did he know that his Tesla would end up thrilling the drag racing event’s audience for hours on end as it battled one gas-powered vehicle after another.

Watch the Tesla Model 3 Performance battle multiple smoke-belching diesels in the video below.