A Class Win Against the Full Field
Hill climbs reward consistency over heroics. A theoretical best lap counts for nothing; the clock measures what you can repeat when the surface heats up, the brakes fade, and the grip moves around between runs. Marcu’s Unplugged Performance Tesla Model S Plaid is built around exactly that idea. The production Plaid brings the brute-force argument with its tri-motor all-wheel-drive drivetrain and 1,020 horsepower, enough to clear 0 to 60 mph in a claimed 1.99 seconds and run a sub-9.3-second quarter mile. The harder problem on a hill stage is putting that power down lap after lap without the chassis turning vague. Eighth overall against a deep grid says the car handled both.
The category win matters for a separate reason. It confirms Marcu competes inside his bracket as a genuine contender, winning the way any serious hill climb driver expects to win, in front of a crowd that now treats EV entries as contenders rather than curiosities.
The Upgrades Behind the Result
Marcu has run Unplugged Performance hardware across multiple competitive seasons, and the setup at Brașov reflects that accumulated knowledge, each component chosen and dialed from what previous events showed. The build leans entirely on the chassis side rather than the powertrain, which stays factory. Up front and out back, the Plaid runs UP x Ohlins TTX 4-way coilovers paired with billet aluminum adjustable control arms and an adjustable sway bar setup, giving the high-performance suspension package the kind of setup range the car’s stock air suspension simply cannot offer. That hardware works alongside precision springs, dampers, and adjustable camber solutions to dial in alignment for each mountain stage. Spherical bushings replace the OEM rubber units throughout the suspension to eliminate deflection under load, so the geometry set in the paddock is the geometry the car actually runs on course. The wheel and tire package is built around lightweight, motorsport-rated UP-03 Pikes Peak Spec forged wheels, chosen to reduce rotational mass and accommodate the tire sizes competitive hill-climb demands without clearance or steering-lock compromises.
Stopping power and consistency come from a Superlight Carbon Ceramic Big Brake Kit (BBK), drawn from UP’s Stage 3 S-APEX brake system, fed by a Carbon Fiber Brake Cooling Duct Kit – designed specially for the Model S Plaid – to keep the pedal predictable across repeated runs. Functional aero completes the package: splitters, lips, and diffusers engineered for real hill climb speeds to keep the front end planted and the car stable when the road opens up between the tight sections.
None of that is flashy in the paddock, and that is the point. This is the same philosophy Unplugged Performance proved at the 2023 Pikes Peak International Hill Climb, where its factory-powered Model S Plaid posted a sub-10-minute run and a top-ten overall finish on chassis, brakes, wheels, and aero alone. A composed platform that behaves the same on the third run as it did on the first is worth more than any single hot lap, and that composure is precisely what shows up in a top-ten overall finish on a long, demanding stage.
A Crowd, a Brand Activation, and National Airtime
Brașov pulled a serious crowd, and the team made the most of it. A strategic spot within the service area gave the program strong visibility throughout the event, which is exactly where you want to be when families are making a full day of the climb and walking the paddock between runs. The setup turned race-day foot traffic into genuine engagement rather than background noise.
Part of that engagement came through the partner activation. The team ran a dedicated stand offering Bergenbier non-alcoholic beer to participants and visitors, a fitting pairing for a motorsport paddock where the responsible-choice angle lands naturally. It drew genuine interest and gave the brand a tangible presence at the event, rather than a logo nobody reads.
The media side was even bigger. The weekend earned substantial coverage across both motorsport-specific outlets and mainstream press, including a feature on Antena 1’s Observator news program, which put the championship and the field’s outputs in front of a national audience. Romanian motorsport and general-interest outlets also picked up the story, with Marcu featured as an ambassador for the Brașov Grand Prix round. For an EV project still working to prove it belongs at the sharp end, that kind of reach is its own result.
Next Stop: Harghita
The team is pointed at the next round in Harghita, running June 12 to 14, with the drivers’ presentation and awards ceremony in Miercurea Ciuc before the competitive route climbs toward Harghita-Băi. New road, new surface, new grip puzzle. The same process that put Marcu on the top step at Brașov applies: build, test, learn, refine, repeat. On the evidence from Brașov, this is becoming a story about a driver and a car that are hard to beat on a mountain road.
The Bottom Line
This was a complete weekend. Marcu won his category, finished eighth overall in a field of over 100 cars, kept the partners visible and engaged, and pulled national television coverage in the process. The Plaid did the heavy lifting on the road, the Unplugged Performance hardware kept it repeatable across every run, and the team handled the off-track side like a program that knows results alone are only half the job. If Harghita goes the same way, this stops being a story about an EV proving a point and becomes a story about a driver and a car that are simply hard to beat on a mountain road. On the evidence from Brașov, that is the direction this is heading.
For Tesla Model S Plaid owners who want to turn their electric super sedan into a track-ready beast, our ready-made Model S Plaid upgrade packages are available. Everything from carbon fiber aero and brake upgrades to suspension items and other products can be purchased from our Tesla upgrade shop and easily installed by any authorized installer worldwide. Our sales team will gladly guide you through the entire process and help you choose the right parts for your needs. Please don’t hesitate to contact us for more information and support.
For guidance on which combination fits your use case, call (213) 493-6323 or email info@unpluggedperformance.com.
In the meantime, take a closer look at Dominic Marcu’s Tesla Model S Plaid race car in the media gallery below.
