Ultra Red Model 3 Performance Gets Track Ready Thanks To Unplugged Performance
We’ll skip the whole “Are electric performance cars cool” debate altogether and jump right to the point: the 2024 Tesla Model 3 Performance is one of the best performance cars – ICE and EV included – out there. For a relatively affordable $54,990 (which gets down to just $47,490 after est. savings from the $7,500 Federal Tax Credit in the U.S.), you get a car that will tear it up! And while we’ve covered the 2024 Model 3 Performance specs in a different post already, let’s say that, for under $50 grand, you get a car with 510 horsepower and a 0-100km/h (0-62mph) time of just 2.9 seconds. Impressive, to say the least.
The nearest competitors, like the Audi RS4, BMW M3, or Mercedes-Benz C63 AMG, all start at above $70,000+, making the Model 3 Performance a no-brainer for the casual enthusiast who likes to track his car occasionally.
While the 2024+ Tesla Model 3 Performance is a great performance car out of the box, the well-known Tesla tuner Unplugged Performance had other ideas. Their view of the car is the one with an improved suspension, better brakes, lightweight wheels, a bunch of suspension upgrades, bucket seats, and more, all aimed at producing a street-legal all-electric performance car that can battle it out with some of the most coveted performance cars out there.
This gorgeous Ultra Red Model 3 Performance comes with Unplugged Performance Race Pro Coilovers UP and their proprietary Adaptive Suspension Canceller Kit. A must if you want to run an aftermarket suspension system without triggering a bunch of errors on the Model 3’s screen. Next, a set of great-looking, bright red UP Carbon Ceramic Big Brake Kit (BBK) calipers are hidden behind the lightweight UP-03 Pikes Peak spec race wheels, making the Model 3 stop on a dime.
The latter, built in 19×11 in the front and 19×11 in the rear, features a battle-tested race-derived engineered design, delivering a lightweight forged wheel that can stand all the abuse on the racetrack. Add a set of Michelin S8A slicks, sized 29/67/R19 in the front and 29/67/R19 in the rear, and you have a platform ready to tackle track times on some of the most challenging racetracks in the world.
The Laguna Seca Laptime – Cosplaying As A Supercar On A Budget
The Unplugged Performance factory test driver Craig Coker was at Laguna Seca last week, where he took their Unplugged Performance 2024+ Tesla Model 3 Performance for some hot laps. Craig ran a lap time 1:33.989 with the car on Michelin Cup 2 R tires and an impressive 1:32.853 – a new Model 3 Record – while on Michelin S8A slicks. The most remarkable aspect to us is the car handling with street tires, which provided just over a second slower lap time than the full-on race slicks, a true testament to the engineering from both Tesla and Unplugged Performance. Here is what Unplugged Performance had to say about the test run:
Even with setting new record laps, there is still obvious room for optimized tuning of the car, but that’s what testing is all about. We experienced some understeer that we’ll continue to dial against to improve entry/mid-turn rotation which could account for half a second or more (our front Aero Kit might just do the trick) The car’s setup was the same as last month’s runs with the addition of our UP Carbon Racing seat, UP 4-pt Harness Bar, and Carbon Fiber Rear Dual Wing Set. For the slicks run, we also removed about 100 pounds of interior.
We also tested full VSC defeat parameters to understand vehicle dynamics without any assistance. While we estimate it shaved about .5 seconds off the lap, we strongly advise utilizing factory Track Mode for most track-goers. It’s pretty cool to see the improvements in the new car. Craig set a record in his first-gen full UP Ascension-R Model 3 Performance a few years back with a time of 1:35.7 on slicks. With the new car, we’ve shaved nearly 3 seconds with less modifications. It’s also really cool to be in a territory amongst supercars. Looking at Fastest Laps, the surrounding lap times to ours (#40) come with the names Lamborghini, Porsche, McLaren. Pretty remarkable considering those are all $150-350k cars and we’re in a bolt-on modified $50k+ 4-door sedan.
In addition to all the parts listed above, this Model 3 is adorned with the UP Street & Track front & rear sway bar and UP front & rear sway bar end links for additional performance gains in the corners. UP front upper control arms, front lower control arms, rear toe arms, rear camber arms, rear trailing arms, and rear traction arms complete the suspension upgrades list. For the exterior, this Model 3 is adorned with the rear Dual Carbon Fiber Spoiler Set, adding additional downforce, producing a more planted behavior around tight corners, and improving overall traction. UP installed an Ascension-R racing bucket seat with a 4-pt harness bar for the interior, allowing any aftermarket racing harness to be attached.
You can grab a look of the lap time in the video below, and check out this beautiful Ultra Red 2024+ Tesla Model 3 Performance in the media gallery right below.
