Amid the sea of supercars at the Geneva motor show, one dark green station wagon was pretty hard to spot. The work of London-based coachbuilder Niels van Roij Design, the Model S station wagon could have easily been mistaken for an official manufacturer model. But there's only one of these out there, at least when it comes to this particular design.
The Model S does not lend itself easily to station wagon conversions due to the base car's use of aluminum, and the difficulty of reengineering the rear doors to fit a wagon design. Converting a sedan into a wagon is difficult enough with modern cars, but the flowing lines of the Model S make it harder still, especially if you want it to look like it "factory."
Niels van Roij Design went the hatchback route with this shooting brake conversion, keeping a minimal side window profile and giving the resulting car a sleek look. The reworked roof transitions effortlessly into a spoiler bill sitting atop a rakish rear window, delivering plenty of style even if it sacrifices some of the cargo room.
Why was this coachbuilder inspired to take on the Model S? As usual with such projects, via a customer request. Dutch collector Floris de Raadt owns a number of unique station wagon conversions, and came to van Roij Design for his Tesla.
"The idea was to translate my Tesla Model S into a dynamic and sporty yet elegant Shooting Brake, rather than creating a car with maximum luggage space," de Raadt said. "Niels van Roij Design developed several options for the conversion, focusing on premium design combined with limited conversion costs: thus making coach building available for a larger group of connoisseurs. Our favourite was the option called ‘Bold Chrome’, featuring remarkable high gloss chrome window trims emphasizing the bold dynamic lines of the car. The result is truly stunning!"
Dutch tire maker Vredestein supported the project's appearance at the Geneva motor show.
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