In a recent PR stunt, Tesla set up a drag race between a Tesla Cybertruck and a Porsche 911. This race shows the truck winning, but this story has some holes.

Hopefully, most of us aren’t naïve enough to think that any company attempting to push its wares on the public isn’t going to set things up so their product comes out on top. Those fast food commercials with sandwiches that look appetizing are done with props and glue to make the food look better. Once you go through the drive-thru window, that sandwich never looks like it did in the commercial. The same goes for this most recent sprint race between the Tesla Cybertruck and Porsche 911.

Let the camera tell the tale

For those that aren’t familiar with the track used, the sprint race showing the Cybertruck vs Porsche 911 looks to end decisively in favor of the truck. A bit of posturing took place for the Tesla truck, which was set up with a trailer attached to the tow hitch. A Porsche 911 sports car was located on this trailer, adding a little to the story.

Tesla would like us to believe the Cybertruck can sprint faster than a Porsche 911 while towing a trailer with an identical 911 on the trailer. As the video from Tesla shows, that seems to be the case, but there’s much more to this story than you might expect.

How far did these two vehicles actually race in the video?

The video shows the two vehicles racing down the strip, with the Tesla Cybertruck pulling the trailer while the Porsche 911 struggles to catch up. This drag race was held at the now-closed Sacramento Raceway, but some familiar with the track have pointed out that the race was actually much shorter than advertised. The race runs from the start point to the thick lines painted on the track at the eighth-mile marker along the grandstands. These same markings aren’t present at the quarter-mile mark of this track. This wasn’t a quarter-mile race shown in the video.

Although the video doesn’t claim the actual length of the race, the ending of the video simply touts the 0-60 time and quarter-mile time of the Cybertruck. That said, Elon Musk was quoted during the Cybertruck launch event saying:

“This is an actual Porsche. We literally just got it from the dealer. 2023 Porsche 911. It [the Cybertruck] can tow a Porsche 911 across a quarter mile faster than a Porsche 911 can go by itself.”

While quite a statement, Musk doesn’t have an unbiased, properly measured race to prove his clam.

How were these two vehicles spec’d?

In this Cybertruck vs Porsche 911 race, it’s unclear how the 911 was spec’d and which model of the Cybertruck was used. If Tesla’s claimed times of 2.6 seconds to 60 mph and 11 seconds for the quarter mile are true (assuming the truck doesn’t have to pull a trailer during this race), then the top trim Tesla Cybertruck can indeed best the lowliest Porsche 911 Carrera. This particular Porsche sprints to 60 mph in 3.9 seconds and finishes the quarter mile in 12.2 seconds. Still, it’s highly unlikely the Cybertruck could beat the lowliest Porsche 911 while pulling a trailer with a car on top.

Can we take anything from this video?

There’s no denying this video showing these two interesting vehicles racing against each other captures our attention as a fun conversation. The Tesla Cybertruck is certainly quick with its electric motors, can rocket off the line, and make full use of the entire torque range immediately. The Porsche 911 has to be shifted and run through the transmission gears to get to the top available power levels.

Another part of the Tesla Cyber truck vs Porsche 911 conversation is the cost of each vehicle. The Cybertruck is nearly $15,000 cheaper than this venerable Porsche, which makes it the value player. Of course, most shoppers aren’t comparing these two vehicles when looking for a new vehicle. They don’t compare in many ways.

Although the video has lots of holes, it shows the Cybertruck can be quick and fun. Still, we don’t expect to see many instances of the Cybertruck vs Porsche 911 going forward. The Porsche is meant for track-day fun while the Tesla truck should be useful and capable at job sites and for weekend warriors ready to bring projects home from the hardware store.

What’s your reaction to this obviously staged video?