Tesla stopped building the Model S this year, but nobody told Dark Helmet. On October 17, Unplugged Performance’s heavily developed 2021 Tesla Model S-APEX Plaid took first place in the Unlimited Class at the Willow Springs Reimagined Time Attack, hosted by the Petersen Automotive Museum. With Craig Coker behind the wheel, it ran the timed section of Big Willow, from Turn 1 through Turn 5, in 52.125 seconds. That was enough to win its class and to set the fastest time of the day across every class.
The result is impressive on its own. The company it kept makes it something else entirely.
A Hypercar Entry List, and One Electric Sedan
The Unlimited Class entry list read like the catalog of a high-end collector car auction. Listed competitors included the Porsche 918 Spyder, Gordon Murray T.50, Aston Martin Valhalla, McLaren Senna, McLaren 765LT, and McLaren Artura. Dark Helmet was the only electric vehicle at the event, and a four-door, five-seat sedan at that.
“As the only electric vehicle of the event, I’m sure we surprised a lot of people,” Coker said after the win. “It was a proud moment, and I loved sharing that with the UP team.”
The setting adds to the story. Willow Springs opened in 1953 and is the oldest permanent road course in the United States. It came under new ownership in 2025, when an affiliate of CrossHarbor Capital Partners bought it in collaboration with Singer Vehicle Design, and the Petersen Automotive Museum has partnered with the track as it rebuilds. October 17 marked the second edition of Willow Springs Reimagined, the event that celebrates the circuit’s new era.
Stock Powertrain, Serious Everything Else
Here is the part that should get every Plaid owner’s attention. Dark Helmet still runs Tesla’s factory battery, tri-motor powertrain, and cooling system, and it uses Tesla’s own Track Mode with no aftermarket powertrain software tuning. In stock form, that means 1,020 hp (760 kW) and 1,050 lb-ft (1,420 Nm) from three motors, and straight-line punch was never the Plaid’s problem.
Unplugged Performance focused instead on everything around the powertrain: aerodynamics, suspension, braking, wheels, and mechanical grip. That is the same philosophy behind its S-APEX program, and it is why so many of Dark Helmet’s parts can end up on a customer car.
The Hardware Behind 52.125 Seconds
For its return to Willow Springs, Dark Helmet ran UP-03 forged wheels on racing slicks, with Coker describing a 330 mm tire setup at all four corners. Underneath sit UP x Öhlins TTX four-way adjustable coilovers, billet adjustable front upper control arms, rear billet suspension arms, and an adjustable rear sway bar. Stopping power comes from UP carbon ceramic brakes front and rear, paired with competition pads and upgraded brake lines.
The body is just as purposeful. The UP S-APEX carbon fiber widebody carries a bespoke high-downforce aero package with a prominent front splitter, a large rear wing, and lower diffusers. Many suspension, brake, and wheel components are available directly through Unplugged Performance, and some already appear on road cars we have featured, like this Matte Dark Sage Model S on UP-03 wheels.
“As a driver, you need to have confidence in the vehicle to consistently push to the limits,” Coker said. “Even having not driven Dark Helmet in a year, I had instant connection on my first run.”
Willow Springs Is Dark Helmet’s Home Turf
This was not Dark Helmet’s first visit to the desert. Willow Springs has long been part of Unplugged Performance’s testing and development program. In 2023, Coker lapped the full Big Willow circuit in 1:20.03, reported at the time as a new EV lap record. Dark Helmet later ran 1:11.14 on the separate Streets of Willow circuit during Gridlife.
The car’s résumé reaches well beyond Rosamond, too. It set records at Gridlife Laguna Seca and posted a sub-10-minute run (9:54.901) at Pikes Peak in 2023. Unplugged Performance then sat out the mountain for two years before returning in 2026 with its autonomous Cybercab project, Goldmember.
A Five-Year-Old Model S, Still Out-Running Hypercars
Tesla ended Model S production in 2026, and the used market is filling up with Plaids. Dark Helmet makes a strong case for what those cars can still become. A 2021 sedan with a stock powertrain and factory software just set the fastest time of the day against an entry list that included a Valhalla, a T.50, and a 918 Spyder, and it did it with parts owners can actually buy. That says as much about Unplugged Performance’s engineering as it does about how far ahead of its time the Plaid really was.
Make sure to watch Craig Coker’s interview from Willow Springs in the video that follows.
For a more detailed look at Unplugged Performance’s Dark Helmet Tesla Model S-APEX Plaid, please grab a look at the media gallery below.
Sources
- Unplugged Performance press release, “Dark Helmet” wins Unlimited Class at Willow Springs Reimagined Time Attack (Hawthorne, Calif., October 19, 2026)
- Craig Coker interview at Willow Springs Reimagined (YouTube) (stock powertrain, Track Mode, 330 mm tires)
- Unplugged Performance: Dark Helmet sets new lap record at Big Willow (1:20.03, 2023)
- Unplugged Performance: Dark Helmet sets records at Gridlife Streets of Willow (1:11.14)
- Unplugged Performance: Tesla Model S-APEX program
- Magneto: Willow Springs Raceway teams up with Petersen Automotive Museum (CrossHarbor and Singer ownership)
- RideApart: Willow Springs is open, and holding a big welcome back event (opened 1953, oldest permanent US road course)
- Cars & Bids: Willow Springs Reimagined 2026 (October 17, 2026, second edition)
- My Car Portal: Matte Dark Sage Tesla Model S (Model S Plaid output figures)
- My Car Portal: Unplugged Performance’s Goldmember (Pikes Peak 9:54.901 in 2023)
