When established automakers turn a normal sports sedan into its supercar-slaying top performance variant (think BMW M5, Mercede-Benz E63 AMG), they usually also give the vehicle a wider body to accommodate different suspension and usually wider wheels. But Tesla is quite far removed from what we would call a traditional automaker, and when it made the Model S Plaid, it didn’t do a whole lot to visually differentiate it.
It has the exact same body as lower-powered variants and it’s only subtle details and badging that give it away as a Plaid. With the kind of performance that it offers, it would have deserved a sporty exterior makeover, but since Tesla didn’t do that, you will have to look for aftermarket solutions if you want to make your Model S look like it has over 1,000 horsepower...
Gallery: Tesla Model S Widebody Kit by Competition Carbon
One carbon fiber specialist, called Competition Carbon, is working on a very bold widebody kit for the Model S and it plans to show it this year at the SEMA Show in Las Vegas. It won't be to everyone's taste and we currently only have renderings to go by, no actual shots of the actual kit on an actual vehicle, but the renderings reveal a very aggressive Model S makeover.
It has a redesigned front bumper and front fenders, new and much wider side sills and there’s even a piece that will go on the rear door to make the transition to the new width in the back more elegant. And it’s from a rear three-quarter perspective that this kit makes the Model S looks most aggressive - you get to see just how big the front fender flares are from the back, and you also the big flares in the back, the completely redesigned bumper with a massive diffuser and a trunk lid spoiler.
All of these changes really transform the Model S and they do genuinely make it look crazy enough that you expect it to have as much power as it does. So if you’re looking for a mad bodykit to really show off your Model S Plaid, this kit will be revealed at SEMA in November with more details and pricing information; it will also be shown on an actual car at the venue.