Meet the Dark Knight—a Brooding, Souped-up Tesla Model S

The US$104,990 three-motor 2023 Tesla Model S Plaid Edition is among the fastest cars in the world, able to reach 60 miles per hour in just two seconds. It puts out 1,020 horsepower and 1,050 pound-feet of torque.

The Plaid is so quick it leaves its drivers gasping for breath, but can the car be improved? Unplugged Performance, a tuning shop in Hawthorne, Calif., that launched in 2013, thinks it can. So was born the Dark Knight, a tweaked Model S-APEX Plaid that has been extensively reworked to better hug the pavement. It sells for approximately US$230,000, including the donor car. But the many options could make it costlier.

The powertrain stays the same, but the car gets a 19-piece carbon fibre wide body kit that allows it to wear big 21-inch, lightweight forged wheels. Airflow is improved with “bargeboard” bodywork in front of the front wheels, a technique adapted from Formula One. Also directing air is the company’s Autobahn front carbon-fibre diffuser. The car meets the world with a sinister satin-black finish, featuring more exposed carbon fibre.

The car’s centre of gravity is lowered via a kit, and there’s a three-way adjustable rear sway bar and a rear-mounted GT strut tower brace. Also part of the suspension build are a series of billet-aluminium adjustable control arms that cut weight, increase strength, and allow some fine adjustments. For those choosing optimum track performance, there are full-race coilover suspension choices available. The Dark Knight needs to stop, so there are carbon ceramic brakes all around, cooled via a ducting system.

The interior was designed in collaboration with von Holzhausen, a company created by Vicki von Holzhausen (married to Tesla chief designer Franz von Holzhausen) that specialises in vegan leather products, including handbags. The tough-wearing interior fabric is in Serrano red and made from bamboo.

The Dark Knight interior uses vegan leather from von Holzhausen.
Unplugged Performance

Unplugged also makes over the other Teslas, including the S, 3, X, Y, and will also tweak the forthcoming Cybertruck. Brendan Sangerman, who directs marketing at Unplugged, says the Dark Knight is “the ultimate daily driver sports sedan.” Asked why the electric motors are left alone, he says, “You wouldn’t want it to be any faster than it is. Instead, we match the performance of the suspension and braking to the level of performance that the car already has.”

Sangerman emphasises that the Dark Knight is a bespoke product, and that the customer has a wide choice in the interior colors and fabrics. “We want customers to be very hands-on in the process,” he said. “If you tell us you like the interior shade in a specific Rolls-Royce, we can match it. Our parts catalog is pretty extensive.”

Unplugged is located close to the Tesla Design Center in Hawthorne. Its first Model S build was shown at the SEMA Show in Las Vegas in 2014, and the company exhibited at the Tokyo Auto Salon in 2016. Unplugged began putting its vehicles to the test on race tracks, and it set some EV records. It also won the exhibition class at the Pikes Peak International Hill Climb in 2021.

There will always be a market for performance tuners, and Unplugged has found a niche market in making some of the world’s most exciting EVs be just that little bit more intoxicating.

One of Sydney’s newest premium workplace destinations has unveiled a major art activation designed to transform the traditional office experience.

Contemporary art curator ART+ has partnered with Forum Double Bay to deliver a curated art program throughout the recently opened workspace, anchored by a large-scale mural from Australian artist Vicki Lee in the building’s central atrium.

The collection also includes works by internationally recognised artists Sebastian Magnani, Alan Walsh, Terry O’Neill, Tyler Shields and Alexander Calder, creating what the partners describe as an art-infused environment that integrates culture into the everyday workplace experience.

Rather than treating art as a decorative addition, the program has been designed to form part of the building’s identity, creating moments of inspiration and engagement throughout the day for members and visitors alike.

ART+ founder Jay Lyon said the collaboration reflected a shared vision between the curator and developer to create workspaces that offer more than desks and meeting rooms.

“This is a unique moment to shape the way people experience workspace: not just as a place to work, but as a place to be inspired. Fortis and Art+ share that vision,” he said.

The activation comes as workplace design continues to evolve, with premium operators increasingly incorporating hospitality, wellness and cultural experiences into office environments as businesses seek to attract employees back into physical workspaces.

At Forum Double Bay, the result is a workplace that combines flexible office accommodation with a carefully curated aesthetic experience, positioning the development as a destination rather than simply a place to work.

Artist Vicki Lee said public art had the power to create an emotional connection with a space.

“What I want is for people to walk in and feel something; a connection, a surprise, a moment of beauty. That’s the power of public art,” she said.

Forum Double Bay recently opened at 377 New South Head Road and has been delivered under the development management expertise of Fortis. The project follows the success of Forum in Melbourne’s Cremorne and is operated by The Commons.

According to the release, all works within the building have been leased as part of the curated program, highlighting Fortis’ commitment to creating boutique workplace environments that blend design, hospitality and culture.

The collaboration also reflects the growing role art is playing within commercial real estate, where developers are increasingly using curated collections and commissioned works to create distinctive environments that foster creativity, community and a stronger sense of place.

For ART+, which specialises in sourcing and commissioning contemporary artworks for luxury residential, commercial and hospitality projects, the Forum partnership represents another example of art being integrated into the fabric of a development from the outset rather than being added after completion.

Meet the Dark Knight—a Brooding, Souped-up Tesla Model S

A new collaboration between ART+ and Forum Double Bay is bringing museum-quality artworks and a large-scale mural into the workplace.