While Tesla has created many variants of its iconic electric vehicles, there are some configurations that remain absent from the carmaker’s lineup. Among these is the popular shooting brake, an option that could easily be one of the most popular setups for the company’s flagship saloon, the Model S. Fortunately, Qwest Norfolk, an independent auto firm, announced that it was able to create the first-ever Tesla Model S P90 shooting brake, and it is gaining some notable fans in the EV industry.
Qwest’s Model S shooting brake had pretty interesting origins. According to a Top Speed report, the idea for a shooting brake variant of the Model S was conceived when an entrepreneur lamented to an engineer friend that the full-sized electric sedan had insufficient headroom for his dogs, which he loved to take on road trips. The stock Model S, after all, features a fastback-like rear design, making it quite cramped for larger dogs.
From this idea, Qwest began its plans to create a customized shooting brake version of the Tesla Model S . The independent auto firm bonded a carbon-fiber roof and rear to the EV’s aluminum shell. More glass was also added to the tailgate, creating the unmistakable silhouette of a conventional shooting brake. Qwest did not provide the actual measurements of the modification, but the changes to the full-sized sedan’s rear do seem to be spacious enough to offer large dogs some comfortable headroom.
Interestingly, the modifications that Qwest implemented on the Tesla Model S P90 were fully authorized by Tesla itself. Thus, while the changes to the rear of the EV were quite radical, each of the components that were used to achieve the shooting brake modification was approved by the carmaker , as noted in an Inside EVs report.
#bbcbreakfast our company was set up because a dog owner wanted his #tesla ev to be bigger to carry his dog in comfort. We’ve now built the world’s only tesla shootingbrake. pic.twitter.com/UGWP01dOwF
— QWest (@QwestNorfolk) December 20, 2017
So far, there is only one Model S P90 shooting brake in the world, especially since Qwest has just finished the electric vehicle. RemetzCar, a company from the Netherlands, also announced that it is planning to create a similar version of the Model S, and it has stated that it would release 20 units of the modified electric car to consumers. Qwest, on the other hand, has not announced if it would be opening orders for its shooting brake variant of the popular EV in the future.
Shooting brakes, better known as station wagons, are incredibly popular among drivers in European countries. Before the onslaught of MPVs and APVs, shooting brakes were the go-to vehicles for drivers who value utility and cargo space. For now, Qwest’s Model S P90-SB stands as the first of its kind, but it might very well be the first of many.
