Unplugged Performance has brought its brand-new Tesla Model S Plaid to the Pikes Peak Hill Climb, and the new top-performance electric vehicle is already impressing in the practice round.
After famously crashing their Model 3 and building it back up in record time to compete last year, Unplugged Performance is back at Pikes Peak, but this time with a brand-new Model S Plaid.
It’s going to be the first time Tesla’s new top performance vehicle is being put to the test, and it’s no easy test.
Pikes Peak consists of a 12.4-mile route that starts at just above 9,000 feet and climbs to the summit at 14,115 feet above sea level.
It’s not only extremely dangerous for the driver since the sharp turns mostly open up to the sides of cliffs, but it’s also extremely demanding on the vehicles competing.
As we previously reported, Unplugged Performance, a Tesla tuner and aftermarket accessory maker, managed to get their hands on an early Tesla Model S Plaid, which they modified with a new suspension, brakes, tires, roll cage, and a few aerodynamic changes.
They released a video of the vehicle during the practice runs at the Pikes Peak Hill Climb:
It is leading its division (exhibition) by a decent margin, and it’s getting close to the times of some purpose-built vehicles in the open wheel category:
Those times are only for one section of the route that is open for practice.
Today, it’s the qualifying round and driver Randy Pobst feels confident that they will have no problem qualifying, especially since he was “taking it slow” since it was one of his first times with the new vehicle.
While he wasn’t pushing it too hard, he was able to hit 130 mph in some stretches of the climb, which is simply insane.
Here you can see more footage of the practice day on Pobst’s Youtube channel:
It’s going to be interesting to see what time Unplugged Performance can get with their modified Tesla Model S Plaid, which stock can accelerate from 0 to 60 mph in less than two seconds.
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Author: Fred Lambert
Source: Electrek
