Tesla’s Model S Ready for Electric GT World Series

Tesla’s best EV, the Model S will soon be even better. The company is tweaking the Model S in power so that it goes from a normal sedan to a GT racer. Announced today, the Electric GT World Series will see Tesla’s Model S cars pitted against each other. The World Series will see near-production versions of the discontinued Tesla Model S P85+ – one for each of the ten teams competing.

Agustin Payá, the series’ technical director and a professional driver himself, told Transport Evolved that very few modifications will be made to the cars. “We are making only small changes to the production Model S P85+ such as improved braking and aerodynamics to increase high speed grip. We will strengthen suspension, braking cooling and steering as well as reducing overall weight,” Payá says.

The P85+ is one of the many Model S variants built for performance. This variant generates 310 kilowatts of power and 443 pound-feet of torque. The battery in the P85+ is a massive 85 kWh compared to the 28kWh found in cars that compete in the Formula E. The specifications inside the P85+ translates to a 250 mile range, which would change under racing conditions.

This will allow cars on Electric GT World Series to compete on bigger, faster tracks than Formula E. The Formula E (now two years old) is an all-electric championship that has seen some criticism for its short duration and small battery cars. The cars in the Formula E are electrically limited to a top speed of 140 mph and drivers must stay below 170 kilowatts in cars that can otherwise generate over 200 kilowatts of power.

While initially the Electric GT World Series will feature only Tesla sedans, Payá states that other all-electric cars will be added once the series kicks off. The Electric GT World Series is the world’s first 100 percent electric GT championship and the first season will begin in 2017.