{"id":78946,"date":"2014-07-15T13:17:21","date_gmt":"2014-07-15T17:17:21","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.thedetroitbureau.com\/?p=78946"},"modified":"2014-07-15T13:17:21","modified_gmt":"2014-07-15T17:17:21","slug":"saleen-plans-performance-tuned-version-of-tesla-model-s","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/thedetroitbureau.com\/2014\/07\/saleen-plans-performance-tuned-version-of-tesla-model-s\/","title":{"rendered":"Saleen Plans Performance-Tuned Version of Tesla Model S"},"content":{"rendered":"
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A preliminary sketch of a Saleen-tuned Model S.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Able to turn a 0 to 60 launch in little more than 4 seconds, the Tesla Model S has changed many folks image of battery cars as little more than electrified stone ponies.<\/p>\n

But just how much additional performance might an owner squeeze out of that lithium-ion pack? That\u2019s apparently something that raised a flag at Saleen, the tuner house that has amped up plenty of conventional gasoline-powered vehicles, such as the Ford Mustang, while also producing its own supercar, the S7.<\/p>\n

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The Word is "Free"!<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Steve Saleen himself is leading the charge, and he plans to have a tuned version of the Tesla Model S ready before the end of the summer.<\/p>\n

Some preliminary sketches give a hint of what he\u2019s got in store. The modified battery car will include changes to both its exterior, as well as what\u2019s hidden under the hood, according to Saleen.<\/p>\n

<\/p>\n

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These renderings show some of the changes Saleen plans for the Model S. Click to enlarge.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

(The “Lemon Law King” scores a win over Tesla. <\/em>Click Here<\/span> for the story.)<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n

<\/em><\/strong>Among other things, look for a new \u201caero management\u201d package that he says will improve the already good aerodynamics of the Model S. The modified sedan also will get new carbon ceramic brakes, as well as a carbon rear diffuser and decklid trim. The sketches also suggest the Saleen Tesla Model S will be finished in the tuner\u2019s distinctive Orange County Orange paint.<\/p>\n

There\u2019ll be relatively few changes to the interior \u2013 though the Saleen logo will be embroidered onto the sedan\u2019s headrests.<\/p>\n

What\u2019s not being revealed is what Saleen has in mind on the performance side of the equation. It\u2019s possible, but highly unlikely that the tuner would take the radical step of replacing key Model S components, such as its big electric motor. While improving aero should yield a slight gain in acceleration, it\u2019s quite likely Saleen would focus on tweaking the sedan\u2019s electronic controller technology to boost power \u2013 much like performance fans will replace the conventional\u00a0 electric control module with a \u201cchipped\u201d ECU on vehicles like the Mustang.<\/p>\n

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The Saleen logo will grace the Model S headrests.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

How much room there is to boost performance remains to be seen, but the good news is that battery propulsion \u2013 despite its green image \u2013 can deliver some serious acceleration. Electric motors generate their maximum torque the moment they start turning.<\/p>\n

(Tesla wants to recover stolen, wrecked Model S. <\/em>Click Here<\/a> for the latest.)<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n

As for price, the current Model S can nudge up into the $110,000 range when fully optioned, including Tesla\u2019s own performance pack. How much further Saleen could go remains to be seen, but considering the sort of wealthy buyers who have made the Model S a staple in such upscale markets as Beverly Hills and Silicon Valley, Saleen is probably right in believing there\u2019s room to push the price tag of the battery-car significantly higher.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Able to turn a 0 to 60 launch in little more than 4 seconds, the Tesla Model S has changed many folks image of battery cars as little more than electrified stone ponies. Now imagine what you might get when tuner Steve Saleen gets to play with the Tesla Model S. More from TheDetroitBureau.com.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":78947,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_mo_disable_npp":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[8],"tags":[],"make":[],"post-state":[],"category_old":[151],"acf":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/thedetroitbureau.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/78946"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/thedetroitbureau.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/thedetroitbureau.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/thedetroitbureau.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/thedetroitbureau.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=78946"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/thedetroitbureau.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/78946\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/thedetroitbureau.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/78947"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/thedetroitbureau.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=78946"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/thedetroitbureau.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=78946"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/thedetroitbureau.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=78946"},{"taxonomy":"make","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/thedetroitbureau.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/make?post=78946"},{"taxonomy":"post-state","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/thedetroitbureau.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/post-state?post=78946"},{"taxonomy":"category_old","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/thedetroitbureau.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/category_old?post=78946"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}