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While there was nothing terrifically difficult about the build, setting a supercar-like time at Tsukuba was easier said than done. I’ve heard many people argue Tesla builds seriously quick cars that can’t take a corner to save their lives, and Unplugged just proved them wrong. Modern versions of either car would likely leave the Model 3 in the dust, because neither automaker has ever stopped cranking up the performance dial. McLaren released the F1 in 1992, and the 997-based GT3 made its debut in 2006. The Model 3’s lap time is impressive, and the fact that a quicker time is possible is encouraging, but the comparison I’m making isn’t exactly apples-to-apples. The McLaren F1, a car once revered and later crashed by Elon Musk, set a time of 1:04.06.

Unplugged’s Model 3 lapped the Tsukuba racetrack in Japan in 1:04.07. For Tsukuba, six laps is much less time than that, so it is easy.

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In Tesla Corsa, our customer cars can run 15-minute sessions on full power. “Our events regularly have 50 or more Model 3s.

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“What about the battery?” Unplugged knew the stock lithium-ion battery pack would hold up to short bursts of intense track use because it created and still organizes the Tesla Corsa series of events.

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It’s not too far-fetched to speculate a professional driver could easily shave a few seconds from each lap. That’s not a lot of time, even assuming he already knew the Tsukuba circuit well. Schaffer pointed out that the time was set by an amateur driver named Ken Negoro, who had never driven a Tesla before and only had half an hour to familiarize himself with the car. To add context, the McLaren F1 - a car ironically once revered and later crashed by Elon Musk - set a time of 1:04.06, while the 997-generation Porsche 911 GT3 took 1:04.08. Unplugged’s modified Model 3 lapped the Tsukuba racetrack in Japan in 1:04.07. A Tesla Model 3 that can chase the McLaren F1Īnd yet, the end result is astonishing.

The idea wasn’t to transform it into a Fast & Furious-esque, track-only sedan that needs to be towed to and from the track.

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Its Autopilot software also still works as intended. The list of modifications is long, but the Model 3 remains daily-drivable thanks in part to the adjustable suspension. “For us, these were all products we make and frequently install, so there was nothing difficult about the build,” Unplugged President Ben Schaffer told Digital Trends. He added it’s not much lighter than stock, though the front seats aren’t original. “In a Tesla, you can’t really do anything it’s not like you can throw a turbo on it,” explained YouTuber Daerik, the man who commissioned the build, in a 10-minute video highlighting the car’s trip to Japan. These are standard modifications in the racing world compare the regular-production Audi R8 with the LMS GT2 model and you’ll see them, too. In simple terms, these changes improve the Model 3’s ability to briskly take a corner, reduce its braking distance, and enhance both handling and stability at high speeds. It’s not just there for looks it keeps the car glued to the road. The company then installed a full body kit that includes a reshaped front bumper, side skirts, an air diffuser built into the rear bumper, and a mammoth wing on the hatch. It also added fade-free carbon ceramic brakes and tacked on a set of sticky Michelin Pilot Sport Cup 2 tires more commonly found on octane-slurping machines like the Chevrolet Corvette ZR1. Starting with a Model 3 Performance, Unplugged tore out the suspension and replaced it with its full suite of high-performance upgrades.

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