Ares Design drops the top on a Tesla Model S

Italian coachbuilder Ares Design has turned out its most radical rebody to date: a two-door Tesla Model S convertible.

Having only recently shown off what it can do with a classic Porsche 911 Turbo the Modena-based firm has created a one-off drop-top Tesla for a discerning customer.

The team of craftsmen had to cut away the original roof and B-pillars, ditch the rear doors and install bespoke new front doors. The trunk lid was redesigned to accommodate the folding roof, which was also a bespoke creation. A final touch was a carbon fiber aero kit. So that it doesn’t flex after the structural roof was removed, the car was stiffened with additional strengthening for the side structure and beneath the car.

New rear seats were custom made and the entire interior trimmed in ice white leather with orange detailing, exactly as the customer desired.

Ares Design boss Dany Bahar says, “Our co-create philosophy allows clients to work side by side with our designers and engineers to create their very own bespoke vehicle, a service that is unique to Ares. This Tesla project is a superb example of this; it was a pure coachbuilding project which we very much enjoy doing and seeing the results of our uncompromising standards.”

Ares Design is not the first coachbuilder to turn its attention to the Tesla Model S. Dutch designer Niels van Roij created a bespoke Model S Shooting Brake for electric enthusiast and long-body fan Floris de Raadt in 2018.

Hey, Elon, are you reading this?