Tuesday 12th June 2018

Another Tesla Shooting Brake!

Dutch designer Niels van Roij turns his hand to the Tesla Model S, with up to 20 being made

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Who knew how similar the Tesla Model S could be to a bus? They're all over London, they all mostly look the same and - when it comes to estates, at least - you wait for ages and then two come along at once.

Those keen on Teslas will be familiar now with the work of Qwest Automotive, the Norfolk-based team who converted a Model S to a Shooting Brake last year. Now a team led by Dutch designer Niels van Roij, with funding from Floris de Raadt and building expertise from RemetzCar, has built their own version.

Autocar reports that the car will not be a one-off, and that around 20 will be produced. With 500-600 hours of sketching alone behind the Model S, van Roij collaborated with the team best known for building stretched cars for the King of Holland: "The client knew them and proposed them. They had the skills to do everything by hand, from beating the aluminium into shape to working with the glass to achieve the huge roof shape. Everything we have added is sculptural; nothing is there for the sake of it." So before any accusations are made, that's straight from the horse's mouth...

While the current spec reflects the wishes of de Raadt - apparently a lifelong shooting brake fan - van Roij says that the project "may want to go in different directions" if there are more customers forthcoming.

They may well be, too, as according to Autocar the price is claimed to be "little more than the cost of a new Model S". Of course as a bespoke coachbuilt project, more money can certainly be spent, although van Roij stated that parameters for every aspect of the build, including budget, have been in place throughout the project.

Quite where you will actually buy a Dutch Model S Shooting Brake from isn't quite clear yet, although the finished product does look very impressive. More details to follow when they're available.

[oilit]

not sure about that chrome roof rail treatment with the rear body up to the top of the tailgate/roof...

[RB Will]

I'm massively too poor to afford one but as a daily driver this would be great for me. One charge would last me about 2 weeks and I could get the dog in the back.

[Snubs]

oilit said:

not sure about that chrome roof rail treatment with the rear body up to the top of the tailgate/roof...

Indeed. My suspicion is that because that was the bit they got to design, the went OTT with it.

[Zetec-S]

Have to admit that's a great looking car, I'd love one. Shame only 20 will be made.

Oh, and there's no chance of me being able to afford one

[unpc]

That's not a shooting brake though is it? It's an estate...

[Alias218]

I have to say this looks quite good. Far better than that other attempt, the company whose name eludes me. I saw it at the London Motor Show recently and it wasn't great without wanting to knock the workmanship that went into it.

Edited by Alias218 on Tuesday 12th June 11:51

[TooMany2cvs]

unpc said:

That's not a shooting brake though is it? It's an estate...

Let's hear your idea of the difference, then...

[Gameface]

3 door as opposed to a 5 door?

[TooMany2cvs]

Gameface said:

3 door as opposed to a 5 door?

Ah, yes. The lesser-spotted Mk3 Escort shooting brake...

[Gameface]

It was a question, not a statement.

[spookly]

Even uglier than a normal Tesla. I think Teslas are great engineering, and obviously ahead of the curve compared to other EVs.... but I think I'll hold back on getting an EV until someone produces one that hasn't been hit with the ugly stick.

[unsprung]

handsome lines

but ultimately derivative and elitist

my preference: more profound efforts that serve / enable greater numbers of people

[chrisironside]

unpc said:

That's not a shooting brake though is it? It's an estate...

The boundaries are flimsy at best. I think the general rule is: if it's marketed as a shooting-brake it's a shooting-brake, otherwise, it's an estate.
3 doors and/or a swooping roofline certainly seem to help.

I would say the (hideous) Qwest Tesla is an estate, but would be prepared to accept this one as a shooting-brake because it looks more slinky.

[Plug Life]

That thick chrome stripe around the last window makes me puke uncontrollably.

[Matt Cup]

Prefer the looks of this one compared to the U.K. made one, even with the giant chrome thing on the side.

[dhutch]

If you're only make 20, it's going to be a mild statement.

Personally I like it, read the title and saw the picture before reading the text and was quite up for believing it was a production offering.

Fair play.


Daniel

[TooMany2cvs]

chrisironside said:

The boundaries are flimsy at best. I think the general rule is: if it's marketed as a shooting-brake it's a shooting-brake, otherwise, it's an estate.

Yep, seems fair. A shooting brake is an estate with some pretentious marketing bks around it. I'll go with that.

[culpz]

It's all well and good this and i'm glad it's being done. However, since this isn't an official offering from Tesla, i wonder how that will correlate to it's depreciation? I'm sure not that many people will want a car made to be something that doesn't actually exist and created by some random bloke (as far as they're aware). I suppose that, with only 20 being made, it could go in the complete opposite direction and look quite attractive. It's still a niche market regardless and would take a niche buyer to really want one.

I also assume that the reason why Tesla aren't offering an official shooting brake version or model is that the market is now swaying more towards SUV's as apposed to estate cars. So, as far as they're concerned, you either go for one of their saloons or the Model X. I love a decent estate/shooting brake model and SUV's don't do much for me, but you can't deny that the latter are the one's that sell and what people seem to want right now.

[gigglebug]

TooMany2cvs said:

chrisironside said:

The boundaries are flimsy at best. I think the general rule is: if it's marketed as a shooting-brake it's a shooting-brake, otherwise, it's an estate.

Yep, seems fair. A shooting brake is an estate with some pretentious marketing bks around it. I'll go with that.

Isn't it because when looking back at the very first examples of vehicles to be referred to as 'shooting brakes' they just happened to all have 3 doors as oppose to it being a clearly defined factor as to what constitutes the term?

Definitely now just marketing bks for sure.

[Funk]

Gameface said:

3 door as opposed to a 5 door?

I always thought 'Shooting Brake' was a 3-door 'estate'. A 5-door estate is just an estate. Or 'Touring' if you're BMW.