Unplugged Performance Reveals Insane Model S Plaid Pikes Peak Racer

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On June 10, 2021, Elon Musk officially kicked off deliveries of the 1,020-hp Tesla Model S Plaid. Approximately two weeks later, on June 12, Unplugged Performance debuted its race-prepped Model S Plaid which ’s place to compete at the Pikes Peak International Hill Climb (together with our resident specialist racing motorist, Randy Pobst, supporting the wheel). You may remember that at this past year’s race Pobst had a small moment and suddenly flew the Unplugged Performance Model 3 off the program. In a feat of determination, the Unplugged Performance team rebuilt the car overnight, and Pobst put next in the exhibition class–and at a car with only half its horsepower!

What Is It?

Unplugged Performance’s Plaid racecar uses the stock powertrain from the top-line Model S. The interior is almost totally stripped out. After ditching items like the automobile ’s airbags, a center console, and door components, Unplugged Performance match this tri-motor Tesla using a roll cage along with a racing seat using six-point racing straps. The entire body is stock except for a massive front splitter and a colossal adjustable rear wing. Similarly , the Plaid racer keeps its factory air springs, however, it employs custom Unplugged Performance/Bilstein dampers and a three-way flexible rear anti-roll bar. The car rides on Yokohama Advan slicks on habit forged aluminum wheels. The so-called Pikes Plaid keeps its stock brake calipers but subs in Unplugged Performance/PFC rotors. Air jacks? Yes ma’’m. This item is really a race car. Before the vehicle reaches Colorado, the organization intends to match its front end using a pair of totally adjustable upper controllers arms, adjustable rear camber arms, and high performance brake pads.

Unplugged Performance pulled off the covers of its Pikes Plaid racer at the third annual Hypercar Invitational occurring at Weathertech Raceway Laguna Seca. The business completed the automobile at 3:00 am on June 11, loaded it on a trailer, then drove it straight to the trail. To put it differently, the very first time the completed car was ever driven was when it rolled straight from its garage at Laguna Seca and on the track’s rushing surface–only how it ought to be. Pikes Plaid is at full shake-down mode for the following two days. Pobst was able to silently pass a few Lamborghinis, Porsches, and McLarens, before hammering the splitter in his next lap of the day.










What Is Unplugged Performance?

Launched by Ben Schaffer at 2000 to customize Japanese cars (Ben was even an extra from The Fast and The Furious), Unplugged Performance moved right into a building next to Tesla’s Hawthorne layout studio at 2013–right next to SpaceX. Through that physical connection, Unplugged Performance started talking to Tesla about changing automaker’s EVs for fans. After falling in love with EVs as performance cars, Unplugged performance immediately started building race cars, and in 2020 it attracted a tuned Tesla Model 3 into Pikes Peak. The difference between this past year’s Model 3 and this past season ’s Plaid?

“Power is still the large one. This is over four times the energy we ended up rushing this past year. Unintentionally therefore,” Schaffer stated. Clearly, the Model S is thicker than the Model 3, nonetheless, “the battery pack along with the heating systems are far better. ”

Illustrating this point, Schaffer points out as the state of charge decreased from the Model 3, “the power would decrease in ratio to a degree. ” The same does not hold true for its Unplugged Performance’s Pikes Plaid racer. At one stage Pobst rolled into the pits at Laguna Seca with 34 percent charge remaining, only to declare the car feels as quick as it will with a full charge. “That’s a big difference. ”

The post Unplugged Performance Reveals Insane Model S Plaid Pikes Peak Racer appeared first on MotorTrend.

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