Unplugged Performance is set to return to the Pikes Peak International Hill Climb in 2026 with an autonomous race car built on a Tesla Cybercab platform and dubbed “Goldmember.”
From robotaxi to hill‑climb contender
The California‑based team withdrew from the 2024 and 2025 events after its Model S‑based Dark Helmet achieved a sub‑10‑minute run in 2023 and set lap records at Laguna Seca, Buttonwillow and Willow Springs.
They entered this year with the upcoming Cybercab, a vehicle designed without steering wheel or pedals for Level 4+ autonomy. Unplugged Performance fitted the Cybercab with the full aerodynamic suite that powered Dark Helmet, including a dual‑element rear wing, a carbon splitter with canards, side skirts and a rear diffuser.
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Gold‑finished panels and butterfly doors give the car a striking look, while a pink Casa Bonita‑style rear wing completes the visual package. Despite the flamboyance, the team says the car is built for speed. The tri‑motor powertrain is rated at 1,020 hp and 1,050 lb‑ft of torque, delivering a claimed 0‑60 mph time under two seconds. At a curb weight of roughly 4,200 lb, the vehicle is about 700 lb lighter than the previous Dark Helmet platform.
Aero and chassis engineered for altitude
They claim the car generates more than 4,000 lb of downforce at 150 mph, roughly matching its static weight. Achieving that level of aerodynamic load at the summit’s thin air required a carbon‑fiber package refined over four previous Pikes Peak campaigns.
The front splitter and canards manage under‑body airflow, while side skirts seal the gap to the road, feeding air to the rear wing and diffuser.
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Unplugged Performance’s “Full Self‑Driving: Hillclimb” software leverages the Cybercab’s native sensor suite and onboard compute to handle the blind corners, rapid elevation changes and varying grip levels that define Pikes Peak. The team argues that proving autonomy in this extreme environment strengthens the case for broader public‑road deployment.
Whether the gold‑painted, pink‑winged Goldmember proves a serious contender or a bold experiment, its arrival marks a notable step in the intersection of electric motorsport and autonomous technology.
