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Tesla 'Easter Egg' Makes the World's Fastest Car Even Faster (bloomberg.com)

The world's fastest-accelerating car is about to get even faster. Tesla's high-end Model S will soon be able to go from zero to 60 miles per hour in just 2.4 seconds, following a software enhancement next month that shaves off a 10th of a second. That's a new threshold that distinguishes it from any other production car on the road. From a report on Bloomberg: Tesla Motors CEO Elon Musk teased the update in a tweet on Wednesday -- but there's a twist. When the changes are delivered wirelessly next month to all P100D Model S vehicles, the owners will have to figure out how to enable it. It's what's known in the tech industry as an "Easter Egg" -- a hidden feature that requires a specific series of gestures to unlock. These speeds are crazy fast. For perspective, the Model S already outpaces sold-out supercars with tiny production runs, such as Ferrari's $1.4 million LaFerrari, Porsche's $845,000 918 Spyder, and Bugatti's $2.3 million Veyron Grand Sport Vitesse. Tesla's seven-seat Model X SUV will also shed a 10th of a second, putting it on a par with a $1.15 million McLaren P1.

5 of 247 comments (clear)

  1. Quick, not fast by hsmith · · Score: 2, Insightful

    These stupid articles always bring up hyper car speeds. The tesla is stupid quick to 60mph, but once you get to 60mph it fades quite fast. Over 60 and it will be clowned by anything. Additionally comparing it to cars that can run endless laps on a track is pointless. But continue on with the Musk dick sucking

  2. Re:PLEASE...make a sports car again!! by Oswald+McWeany · · Score: 4, Insightful

    Get pulled over with a radar detector on your dash and that's a guaranteed ticket! Without one, you stand a chance of escaping with just a warning.

    In all likelihood, not sure your age, so I could be off here, but it could be an age thing. When I was in my 20s I would have thought a flashy looking car would be better. Once I hit my thirties and long time married, I still would love a performance machine, but the last thing I'd want is some flashy looking car that makes me stand out from a crowd.

    Let me blend in with the crowd... until I leave them in my dust and they sit wondering "what was that thing?"

    --
    "That's the way to do it" - Punch
  3. Two seat sports cars by sjbe · · Score: 4, Insightful

    I've never owned a car in my life that had more than 2 functional seats

    Then you clearly don't have children and/or don't do practical work involving a vehicle. My daily driver is a pickup because I need that sort of vehicle for various tasks (hauling, plowing, etc) that could not possibly be accomplished with a little sports car. Good luck hauling a 4x8 sheet of plywood in your 911. If you have a family in most parts of the US you will immediately need at least a third seat and some cargo capacity. People don't drive minivans because they think they are awesomely fun to drive.

    I like cars that are fun to drive too (and have owned several) but two seat sports cars are hugely impractical and generally expensive luxuries. Nothing wrong with that but not compatible with the banalities of daily life for many of us.

  4. Cars are designed for specific roles by sjbe · · Score: 1, Insightful

    The tesla is stupid quick to 60mph, but once you get to 60mph it fades quite fast. Over 60 and it will be clowned by anything.

    Not actually true but even if it were, so what? It covers a quarter mile as fast as anything you can buy from a showroom today (usually for less money than the cars that are close to as fast) and it's not as if you can drive any car over 100mph routinely no matter who made it. Certainly not on public roads. Why would I give a shit what it does at 140mph since I'm never ever going to drive any car that fast?

    Additionally comparing it to cars that can run endless laps on a track is pointless.

    Why is it pointless? That's like saying it's pointless because it isn't designed to haul lumber like a pickup. The Tesla is a great car for real world driving. It's not a car that is designed to meet every need and it's not a car designed for laps on a track. If you want to do some specialty activity then buy a vehicle that suits that need. Nobody has ever pretended that a Tesla is a great track car but it is a great car for daily driving. Cars that are great on a track tend to suck on real roads. (stiff suspensions, noisy as hell, uncomfortable, too low, etc)

  5. Easter egg? by sinij · · Score: 4, Insightful

    >>>"the owners will have to figure out how to enable it"

    I think these guys forgot that they are not designing a video game. How about Easter Egg car payments, with Tesla having to figure how to get the cash?