Gas vs Electric: Old-School Evo IX Crushes Tesla Plaid in 1K HP Track Battle

This Evo IX was built 14 years ago but it still has the power to punish the much newer, all-electric Tesla Model S Plaid in the quarter mile.

The Evo IX is a legendary car with a legendary engine. The 4G63 4-cylinder in the Evo IX is one of the stoutest engines ever made. It can handle big power and still be all day reliable. That being said, time marches on. The Evo IX we see here was built 14 years ago. That is several lifetimes ago in the car world. In fact, the Evo was built 5 years before the first Tesla Model S was ever made. To say nothing of the latest Model S Plaid which has only been on the market for about two years. And once the Plaid hit the streets it re-wrote the performance rule book. It accelerates like nothing else. It puts hypercars on the trailer. This is a 9 second car from the factory. And low 9 seconds at that. 4G63 or not, that is a tough challenge for the Evo.

But the Evo IX was never one to back down from a challenge. A video was posted recently on the That Racing Channel YouTube channel. It shows this Evo taking on the Tesla at the drag strip. As well as a BMW S1000RR motorcycle for good measure. The old girl performs just fine. It goes to show that while EVs are all the rage right now and they have a major advantage when it comes to straight line acceleration. Good old-fashioned gasoline powered cars with fat turbos and a tune can still be incredibly quick. And of course, they sound a whole lot better.

Evo IX

The Evo IX from the factory was a great little car. But it would have no chance in a drag race against a modern Tesla Plaid. The engine in this car was fettled with back in 2007. Things like bigger cams were fitted at the time. In 2014 a Super 99 Ball Bearing Turbo was fitted. It has a larger fuel pump that feeds the engine ethanol. All these goodies are responsible for pushing out about 1,000 horsepower. A Tesla Model S Plaid also makes right around 1,000 horsepower. Of course, with all the batteries it needs to lug around the Tesla tips the scales at nearly 4,800 pounds. A stock Evo IX weighs about 3,450 pounds so the power to weight advantage goes to the Evo in a big way.

Evo vs Tesla

It is never really close. At the end of the quarter mile the Evo IX is about two car lengths ahead of the Tesla. The Tesla owner should not feel too bad though. The Evo also beat the BMW superbike. The little economy car from Mitsubishi can really scoot. It is really a shame that the sportiest Mitsubishi you can buy in 2023 is the sleep-inducing Eclipse Cross. We really miss the days of true performance Mitsubishi cars.

Tesla Performance

The Tesla did come back and beat the BMW in the next race. But then it lost to a supercharged Mustang GT. It then came back to beat an 850 horsepower Nissan 240SX. In the final race the Tesla lost to a Shelby GT500. We bet the Tesla Plaid owner never took so many L’s in one day before. It is nice to see that even in this day of all-electric power that a properly setup gasoline powered car can still triumph on the drag strip.

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Joe Kucinski

Joe has been obsessed with cars since he got his very first Matchbox toy in the ‘70s. In 2003, he found a new obsession in track days that led to obtaining his SCCA competition license in 2015. In 2019, he became a certified driving instructor for the National Auto Sport Association. His love for all things four wheels has never wavered, whether it's driving some of the best cars in the world on the racetrack, tackling 2,000-mile road trips in 2-seat sports cars or being winched off the side of a mountaintop in a Jeep. Writing for the suite of Internet Brands Auto Communities sites, including Rennlist.com, Ford Truck Enthusiasts, 6 Speed and more allows him to share that knowledge and passion with others.