Your memory is deceiving: Ferrari, Lamborghini and Porsche from the 80s take ‘stick’ from common electric car in drag test

A family electric SUV — one of those made to take children to school and bring groceries from the market — humiliated three of the super sports cars that appeared on bedroom posters in the 80s in a sprint. The scene alone sums up an uncomfortable truth: affective memory is often treacherous, and even the fastest cars of their time now lose out to trivial models.

The author of the feat is the Skoda Elroq vRS, an electric crossover that the Czech brand put face to face with a Ferrari Testarossa, a Lamborghini Countach and a Porsche 944 Turbo. The stage was the Dunsfold circuit, famous for serving as a test track for the old Top Gear.

The result, predictable for those who follow the evolution of electric propulsion, is still a shock for fans of the classics: Skoda’s utility left veterans in the dust. The secret is not in the raw power — the Elroq vRS has 340 hp and 55,6 kgfm of torque — but in the ease of delivery. While models from the 80s require precise clutch control, manual shifts and the management of the “turbo lag” of the time, Skoda offers the so-called “point-and-shoot“: just put the pedal to the metal, and the all-wheel drive and electronics take care of the rest.

So much so that the victory says more about the start than about performance: by Skoda’s own account, the Testarossa would do 0 to 100 km/h in 5.3 seconds, a tenth ahead of the 5.4 seconds of the Elroq vRS. The difference is that, in the electric, this acceleration comes without effort or drama.

The advantage, however, is the “short lane”. The SUV has a top speed limited to 180 km/h, while sports cars go much further. On a long straight, the turn is a matter of time: the Testarossa completes the quarter-mile in about 13.3 seconds, already at more than 172 km/h, near the roof of the Skoda. In a one-kilometer dispute, the three classics would retake the lead without difficulty.

It is worth remembering that the duel came out of a video produced by Skoda itself, more illustrative than scientific. Still, if in acceleration electrification democratized performance, in terms of emotion and design the charm of the 80s remains unbeatable.