Tesla Reveals Model 3 Performance Test After Elon Musk's Defcon Talk

Tesla began production of its Model 3 Performance Edition vehicle back in June, and customers who ordered the car started receiving them in July. That doesn’t stop the company from showing off the speed of the electric car on both the streets and now, the snow.

The official Tesla Instagram account uploaded a quick video Sunday showing the Model 3 Performance Edition in action in Alaska. In the clip, the souped-up electric car can be seen taking two curves at high speeds without losing control. The drifting done by the vehicle is straight out of an episode of the anime Initial D.

Video of the Tesla Model 3 Performance Edition came a day after company CEO Elon Musk attended the Defcon Hacking Conference in Las Vegas on Saturday. He held a Q&A with engineers from Tesla and SpaceX to help secure Tesla vehicle software.

Musk and Tesla have been in a bit of hot water since he tweeted about taking the company private last week and claimed he secured funding to do so. The day after the tweet, the company stock price jumped, but also, the US Securities and Exchange Commission started an inquiry about Musk’s statement. The tweet also led to lawsuits from investors. Musk has yet to acknowledge the recent trouble and instead tweeted about selling Tesla short shorts and thigh-high socks.

Starting at $78,000, the Model 3 Performance Edition will continue to make its way to customers who reserved it for $1,000. It’s unclear how much more turmoil Tesla will find itself in due to Musk’s past and future tweets.

A bit of good news for Tesla car owners is the release of the company’s v9.0 autopilot. In the coming weeks, a 14-day trial of the new autonomous driving software will be made available to those who have the proper hardware in their car.