Tesla’s family of electric cars is set to expand considerably in the coming years. The company is working on a smaller crossover positioned below the Model X, a pickup truck, and even a semi truck, but it’s not planning an expansion into the station wagon segment. But don’t worry, a small British firm went where company boss Elon Musk won’t by building a long-roof variant of the Tesla Model S.
The project was commissioned by a British Model S owner who became frustrated because his dogs couldn’t fit comfortably in the back of his car. The Model S is available with a pair of jump seats in the trunk, so it sounds like we’re dealing with dogs bigger than the average child. Instead of stepping up to the Model X or shopping for a car that’s not a Tesla, he decided to invest his money into creating the first-ever Model S station wagon.
This isn’t an amateur job, some novice builder hacking away at a Tesla with an angle grinder and some body filler. Some of the people involved in the project have experience designing cars for well-known companies like Lotus and Jaguar Land Rover, and a few even worked on McLaren’s influential F1 in the 1990s.
And finally… the bit you’ve all been waiting for. A few of you doubted it was even real..captured earlier today the moment that @TeslaTed very own P90D-SB connected to the #ElonMusk network became visable and moved #theteslashootingbrake #british @BBC_TopGear @FullyChargedShw pic.twitter.com/ZRCiEAclUR
— Qwest Norfolk (@QwestNorfolk) December 16, 2017
The car is complete, and it’s completely stunning. The wagon looks just like a pre-face-lift Model S from the tip of the front bumper to the B-pillar. Beyond that, it receives a longer roof panel underlined by an elegant strip of chrome trim, and a short third side window that allows designers to retain the sedan’s muscular stance. The D-pillar got pushed as far back as possible in order to create the maximum amount of cargo space.
The roof panel is made out of carbon fiber to keep weight in check. Adding pounds of sheet metal to the Model S would undoubtedly penalize range, so carbon fiber is the perfect solution for a conversion like this one.
The carbon fiber parts actually makes the wagon lighter than the standard Model S, and the longer roof panel makes it more aerodynamic. The car has been extensively tested in a wind tunnel, Fully Charged reports. It could offer more range than a standard Model S sedan, but we won’t know for sure until it hits the road. Other specifications (such as how much cargo capacity it now offers) haven’t been released yet. We’ve contacted Qwest to get more details but we haven’t heard back yet.
The first Model S station wagon is a one-off model right now, but it might not remain that way for very long. The team in charge of the project is open to converting about 25 wagons over the next three years if the first one generates enough demand from motorists. It’s an entirely bespoke version of an expensive car, so don’t expect it to come cheap.
Updated by Ronan Glon: Added information about the finished car.
