This Company Can Turn A Tesla Model 3 Into A Super Race Car

Aadhya Khatri - Feb 21, 2020


This Company Can Turn A Tesla Model 3 Into A Super Race Car

Unplugged Performance's modified Tesla Model 3 was able to lap the Tsukuba racetrack, one of Japan's most iconic race circuits, in 1:04.07

Tesla is working against the clock to create Model 3 cars that can outperform Porsche Taycan. While the company is still in the process of realizing that ambition, a company called Unplugged Performance has been dedicating to fine-tune the Model S and turn them into supercars, ready for racing.

Tesla Model 3 is already quick. It can reach 60 mph in just 3.2 seconds from a full stop. However, it is far from being a race car.

Tesla Model 3 race car
Tesla Model 3 is already quick. It can reach 60 mph in just 3.2 seconds from a full stop. However, it is far from being a race car

Let’s see how Unplugged Performance can turn it into something racetrack-worthy.

Getting race ready, from the bottom up

The first step is to remove the Model 3’s suspension and in its place, add an adjustable setup and thicker sway bars. Other parts that get replaced are fade-free carbon-ceramic brakes and sticky Michelin Pilot Sport Cup 2 tires.

tesla model 3 Audi R8 modification
These modifications are standard in the world of racing cars, you will see them on the LMS GT2 and Audi R8 too

The next step is to install a full-body kit including side skirts, a wing on the hatch, an air diffuser on the rear bumper, and a reshaped front bumper. These parts are for keeping the car stay firmly on the road.

These improvements are to increase the Model 3’s ability to round a corner, lower the brake distance, as well as improve stability and handling when it reaches high speed. These modifications are standard in the world of racing cars, you will see them on the LMS GT2 and Audi R8 too.

Tesla Model 3 Unplugged Performance
These improvements are to increase the Model 3’s ability to round a corner, lower the brake distance, as well as improve stability and handling when it reaches high speed

Unplugged Performance leaves one part untouched though – the powertrain. Daerik, a YouTuber, commissioned the make-over and published a 10-minute video about it and the car’s trip to Japan.

While it is not much the original Tesla Model 3, the Autopilot software still work as in other models.

A Tesla Model 3 that can chase the McLaren F1

While the intention was not to turn the car into something that can beat conventional race cars, the result will astonish you. The modified Tesla Model 3 was able to lap the Tsukuba racetrack in 1:04.07. To help you compare, here is the achievement of some other race cars. The McLaren F1 stands at 1:04.06 on the same racetrack. The time for the Porsche 911 GT3 is 1:04.08.

Tesla Model 3 race McLaren F1
The McLaren F1 stands at 1:04.06 on the same racetrack

The driver was Ken Negoro who had never driven a Tesla Model 3 before and had only half an hour to get familiar with the car. So a professional racer can easily reduce the time by a few more seconds.

The achievement sounds impressive but the comparison is not exactly fair. The McLaren F1 was first introduced way back in 1993 while the Porsche 911 GT3 2006. Letting the modified Tesla Model 3 races against the newest versions of these cars and we will have a whole different story.

Tesla model 3 Tsukuba racetrack
The process of modifying the car might sound simple but building a car worth of the Tsukuba racetrack is easier said than done

In the last few years, makers of the Porsche and the McLaren have worked to crank up their performance. The process of modifying the car might sound simple but building a car worth of the Tsukuba racetrack is easier said than done.

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