Joe Biden lost $10 betting a Cadillac was quicker than a Tesla

It was old school versus new school. And new school won.

Vice President Joe Biden visited the Vatican recently, and, in true Biden form, he placed a bet before meeting with one of the Cardinals. You know, as good Catholics do.

Specifically, Biden bet a New York Times correspondent, Gardiner Harris, which was faster: a Cadillac or a Tesla. He relayed his loss to Cardinal Pietro Parolin, the Vatican secretary of state, at their meeting, according to a White House press pool report. 

Parolin: You have already met with the Holy Father.

Biden: I have met with the Holy Father. And I've met with these guys, too. (Gesturing to press pool.) I had to pay this man $10. He's from the New York Times. We had a bet: Which is the faster car, the newer Cadillac or the new Musk car. Which?

Harris: Tesla.

Biden: The Tesla. I bet the Cadillac.

Harris: He went for the old technology. I went for the new.

Parolin: Oh yes?

Biden: The Tesla's two tenths of a second faster. But I lost. I paid my $10. I want the record to show, I paid my $10.

Then Michael Memoli, a Los Angeles Times reporter, chimed in: Does that count as a confession sir? Biden was quick to respond. "I'm seeking absolution!"

While it's not clear which Cadillac Biden is referring to, it's easy to deduce he meant the CTS-V powered by a 640-horsepower supercharged V8 engine borrowed from the Chevrolet Corvette Z06. We can also assume the "Musk car" in question is the Tesla Model S P90D with Ludicrous acceleration mode.

The CTS-V is capable of a 0 to 60 mph run in 3.7 seconds while the P90D can do that same run in just 2.8. From the seat of your pants, they're equally quick. From a numbers standpoint, though, the Musk car takes the cake.

I don't know where Biden and the Cardinal got their performance figures from. The Caddy is a bit more than two tenths of a second slower. Either way you crack it, Biden wins because both cars are American made.