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This Is Europe's First Tesla Model 3 Converted for Racing Use

Race cars based on Tesla cars are not yet commonplace across the world, except for a few in the U.S. that were developed by independent specialists. Meanwhile, in Europe, as far as we know, nobody has built a Tesla Model 3 for racing purposes, while there have been a few Model S units that were converted. Until now, that is, as this Model 3 Performance is the first of its kind on the Old Continent.
Tesla Model 3 Performance converted for hill climb racing 56 photos
Photo: Flavius Croitoru
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This Tesla Model 3 has been stripped of its interior and fitted with a full roll cage, a set of FIA-approved Sparco bucket seats, and a fire extinguishing system.

All three are mandatory if you want to race a vehicle in FIA-sanctioned hill climb events. So are elements such as hood and trunk fasteners, as well as electrical cut-off switches both inside and outside.

As you can observe in the photo gallery, the vehicle has received a few interior adaptations to make it suitable for use in racing conditions. Since the driver wears racing gloves, the use of regular controls on touch-enabled surfaces becomes difficult. That is why some buttons have been repositioned on the new central control panel.

The new unit is not the most beautiful in town, but it serves a practical purpose, as does everything in this race-prepped Tesla Model 3. All the conversion work has been done in a local workshop that specializes in such work.

The exterior of the vehicle also got a rear wing that was custom-made for it, and its creators believe it will make a difference for the race-converted American sedan.

Other changes involved replacing the roof, as well as several other body panels with fiberglass components. All the elements have been painted, and the vehicle has been wrapped with its sponsor decals, as is customary for racing cars.

Removing all the interior elements and replacing them with racing-specific ones, where needed, resulted in a weight reduction over a stock Tesla Model 3 Performance. There is a 20-kilogram improvement, which is nothing to write home about, but every little bit counts in racing.

As far as dynamics are concerned, the steering and suspension systems were improved with the installation of parts made by Unplugged Performance for the Tesla Model 3 Performance. The suspension consists of the KW Variant 4 kit, which is the most advanced coilover setup currently available for this model.

The stock wheels have been replaced by Braid 18-inch alloys, which are fitted with competition slick tires to ensure maximum performance. The drivetrain has no modifications made to it, but neither have other Tesla vehicles that were prepped for hill climb events.

This vehicle's first outing in a competition will take place in the national hill climb championship of Romania, the country where the racecar conversion was imagined and fulfilled. Its driver, Dominic, was the one who first took the wheel of the first-ever MINI Cooper SE racecar in a competition, so he should be familiar with the task at hand.
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About the author: Sebastian Toma
Sebastian Toma profile photo

Sebastian's love for cars began at a young age. Little did he know that a career would emerge from this passion (and that it would not, sadly, involve being a professional racecar driver). In over fourteen years, he got behind the wheel of several hundred vehicles and in the offices of the most important car publications in his homeland.
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