Photo: Twitter screenshot
Starting yesterday, the world's first ever electric station wagon was completed, and even though Tesla had nothing to do with it, it's hard not to call it a Model S.
We've covered this conversion since the first moment word got out about a joint effort from a British group of Norfolk-based engineers and a Dutch company working on it and, less than a year later, the vehicle is already able to turn its wheels on itself.
The last time we heard from the guys involved was precisely one week ago when Neils van Roij Design, the company responsible for the visual part of the transformation, released a few renderings showing the finished product.
Back then, we said it promises to be the best-looking Tesla ever, and now that we have the actual vehicle to behold, we realize we might have been a little too overenthusiastic. The wagon - or shooting brake, as they like to call it, though it technically isn't one - is pretty, but something feels a bit off.
It's probably the roofline which doesn't appear to dip one bit toward the end. For a car with the curves of the Model S, a perfectly flat roof seems completely out of place. They probably did it for practicality reasons or maybe it helps the aerodynamics - the designer did say it would have the same drag coefficient as a standard Model S, if not better - but it certainly doesn't help support our statement from last Monday.
However, the part about this Model S P90D-SB is that it still has full support from Tesla. As far as the Californian company is concerned, this is still one of its products and will continue to receive updates and service. The team at Qwest Norfolk checked with the manufacturer before making any changes to be sure they didn't sever any important bits.
It looks like the interior is still in need of some work, so the job isn't exactly done. But with the most difficult part behind them, the guys working on the project are now free to focus on making the cabin as cozy as possible for the owner's dogs. No, really, the canines were what started the whole thing.
The last time we heard from the guys involved was precisely one week ago when Neils van Roij Design, the company responsible for the visual part of the transformation, released a few renderings showing the finished product.
Back then, we said it promises to be the best-looking Tesla ever, and now that we have the actual vehicle to behold, we realize we might have been a little too overenthusiastic. The wagon - or shooting brake, as they like to call it, though it technically isn't one - is pretty, but something feels a bit off.
It's probably the roofline which doesn't appear to dip one bit toward the end. For a car with the curves of the Model S, a perfectly flat roof seems completely out of place. They probably did it for practicality reasons or maybe it helps the aerodynamics - the designer did say it would have the same drag coefficient as a standard Model S, if not better - but it certainly doesn't help support our statement from last Monday.
However, the part about this Model S P90D-SB is that it still has full support from Tesla. As far as the Californian company is concerned, this is still one of its products and will continue to receive updates and service. The team at Qwest Norfolk checked with the manufacturer before making any changes to be sure they didn't sever any important bits.
It looks like the interior is still in need of some work, so the job isn't exactly done. But with the most difficult part behind them, the guys working on the project are now free to focus on making the cabin as cozy as possible for the owner's dogs. No, really, the canines were what started the whole thing.
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
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