LSA V's Telsa, blown away

[Buzz]

EV's have been around since the 1830's, and towards the end of the 19th century, they were outselling gasoline powered cars 10 to 1. Interestingly, one of the things that added a nail to the EV coffin in the early to mid 1900's (along with range issues and no infrastructure outside of city centers) was the development of another electric motor - the starter - that did away with the tedious and dangerous hand-crank starting of the fossil-fueled cars.

Today we have a legit, bona-fide EV super saloon in the Tesla, with respectable range, all (and more) of the requisite whizbang features and options and class-topping panache, speed and acceleration to boot. The future is here, and as battery technology continues to develop, I promise you that this is just the tip of the iceberg in terms of what cars are very soon going to be capable of.

Prices will come down and an entirely unprecedented level of automobile design, performance and capability is about to hit the streets. We are on the verge of the biggest boom in automobiledom () since the invention of the gas engine. Every class of personal transportation will become better, faster, safer, cleaner and more diverse in terms of design and packaging; from tiny personal commuter-pods, hyper saloons and racers to utility vehicles, ATV's and off-road crawlers.

Like it or not, the future is here and its a good one for car nuts. Cars like our Cobras, however, will always be what they are and that will never change. In fact, with the evolving direction of mainstream automobilia; the raw, anti-establishment brutality and rivetingly beautiful proportions of Cobras will make them stand apart even more; and their iconic status - read desirability - might even be enhanced.

Eventually, gas powered vehicles will become phased out and relegated to niche, off-highway and hobby-only use; but that won't be for another few decades, so I'll just enjoy what I have now as well as the awesome new stuff that's inevitably coming down the pipeline.

[Dominik]

Nice, thanks!

A very good Cobra on decent tires can do that, but based on my and my mate's experience one day you do 10.9 the next day 11.9...

The Tesla's superior traction provides consistency, I suppose. And it weighs almost twice as much!

Current supercars are restricted at take-off to protect the drivetrain (and not only by launch control and anti slip). Well, that's what I heard about the BMW V10 when it was "launched" 10 years ago.

[twin turbo]

0-60 mph in 2.6 seconds per that article. Wow, I would venture to say that would beat nearly every Cobra on this sight. That's amazing, yet somehow depressing.

[rms427]

I have a P85D and it's real advantage is zero to 30. With 684 ft-lbs of torque at zero RPM and 4 wheel drive it's amazing off the line. No wheel spin even with the 19 inch all season tires rather than the 21 inch summer tires. It actually made me a bit dizzy the first several times I launched it from standing start. Zero to 60 is quicker than both my Cobra and Z06 Corvette. The Corvette is probably quicker from 30 on up if it's in the right gear. The Tesla is always in the right gear since it only has one. Corvette has the same quarter mile time as the P85D but runs about 10 MPH faster.

[Modena]

Tesla issues global recall on all 90,000 Model S sedans to check seatbelts | theage.com.au

All model S just got recalled

[xb-60]

......yep fast indeed....but fast doesn't anywhere near take the place of character. I would take a car with half (well, maybe a bit more than that) the accelerative ability that was loaded with character any time. Please.....don't let it go that way. I want some involvement in the driving experience

Cheers,
Glen

[Jaydee]

What about fitting some decent size subwoofers in the tesla and replicate the sound of a V8. A lot of people are going to get run over with these silent cars. Also it's hard to get the sense of speed in a silent car.
JD