Tesla only builds the Model S as a sedan. A more functional variant is not on Tesla’s wish list. Strangely enough, that segment is virtually non-existent in America today. But Europe does like the break. And perhaps that is why a Model S is sometimes made on the Old Continent.
A handful of companies have announced plans to turn Tesla’s Model S electric sedan into a sexy shooting brake. In London, a Model S broke to shine. But the renowned Dutch company RemetzCar has also built a copy in collaboration with designer Niels van Roij. The company has released new information about the project, along with photos after the completion of the first custom ‘coachbuild’ shooting brake.
Coachbuilding has a long history and tradition dating back more than 100 years. In earlier times, when serial production did not yet exist, the process of purchasing a new car started with the purchase of a chassis. The customer then approached a carrozzeria or coachbuilder (eg: Bertone, Hooper, Vignale, Touring and Zagato) and asked them to make a personal body design on the chassis. Coachbuilding has always been synonymous with elegance, quality and technical innovation. So is this Model S Shooting Brake.
To be one step ahead of the purists: what is presented here as Shooting Brake (it sounds chic), is actually a stylized Break with 4 side doors. Designer Niels van Roij started with the first sketches after he made an analysis of existing station wagons.
For example, the angle of the rear window is exactly between that of the Panamera Sport Turismo (another ‘false’ shooting brake) and the Mercedes E Break. Dozens of drawings were made, with even an adjustment of the B-pillar in the most extreme concepts. However, it did not come to that, but the final result is certainly there.
Once a decision was made on the final design, RemetzCar from Lisse in the Netherlands set to work with a Model S. RemetzCar was not ready for his test piece. Because in addition to the well-known Audi A8L limousine of King Willem-Alexander of the Netherlands, they have already converted a Tesla Model S into a funeral car!
From a digitized sample, all parts were then handcrafted from aluminum using low-tech techniques such as an English wheel to give the metal its final shape. At every step, everything was extensively measured with a laser, because it had to be perfect! The large chrome parts that accentuate the rear windows are a beautiful example of the craftsmanship and style knowledge of RemetzCar. They are deservedly real coachbuilders.
Let’s assume that designing and producing a Shooting Brake from an existing model is not exactly a breeze. It is a model that must have such specific properties that you quickly overstep the mark. That is to say, the design can quickly be ruined, so a good Shooting Brake is the product of hours of deliberation.
This is also the case with this Tesla Model S. What is special about this creation is the fact that the original structure of the car has been preserved. So nothing has been changed, just added. In the development of this car, an attempt was made to create a sporty, elegant Shooting Brake, instead of a car with huge luggage space.
What is perhaps most striking about the creation of this Tesla Model S Shooting Brake is the ‘Bold Chrome’ option. This refers to the widened, striking chrome-finish window pillars at the rear of the car. It gives a spectacular result and makes the car just that little bit more special. The design, construction and overall finish of the RemetzCar Tesla are at a significantly higher level than the (slightly) previously launched Tesla S Break from British Qwest Norfolk.
The new bespoke electric car now resides with its new owner, Floris de Raadt, a shooting brake enthusiast with a passion for electric cars. The company personally delivered the Model S Shooting Brake to the owner’s home after months of work on the passion project.
Because this is a special project and they want to keep it that way, it remains a very limited edition. Only 20 of these Teslas will be produced. So they promise to make 19 more copies of RemetzCar Model SB – because that’s the official name of the creation to avoid copyright problems.
If you are interested, you must act quickly. Unfortunately, the company from Lisse, Holland, cannot give a price, but with the hundreds of hours of manual work that go into this car, it will certainly not be a bargain.
Come into the beautiful worlds of Niels van Roij and RemetzCars
Yakymour 