Saleen FourSixteen Debuts … Is Interesting?
Last week I showed you the teaser image of Saleen’s Concept the FourSixteen, a tuned version of Tesla’s Model S. I can now show you what the whole car looks like in the flesh and talk a little about the performance stats.
First off, I’m not sure about the body kit Saleen has put on the car. The front end looks kind of like a mash up of an FR-S and a Panamera, and not in a good way. The rippled hood, the massive 20-something-inch rims … what is this? SEMA?
And that SEMA feel stretches into the inside of the car as well.
Gone is the very subdued brilliant interior, and in its place is a set of black and white bucket seats, both in the front and the back with the Saleen nameplate set inside them. I personally liked the stock upholstery. It was understated elegance. This, however, looks like some kid went down to Autozone and bought some terrible seat covers and a bad body kit. This isn’t 2004 anymore. We’ve moved on, Steve.
What are nice are the massive Carbon Ceramic brakes behind the those wheels, as well as a stiffer suspension package that will allow the car to handle corners better. Lastly, while Saleen is known for increasing the horsepower figures of Mustangs, the Tesla doesn’t receive any horsepower updates or upgrades. What does receive a performance upgrade is Tesla’s software that controls the car’s final drive, giving the Saleen-tuned car a better 0-60 sprint than the standard car.
I was expecting more from this. I really thought Saleen could add some substance, some style, and really, they did the exact opposite. Pricing is said to start at $150,000, and that includes the donor car, so figure the cost of all these “upgrades” to be around $40,000-45,000, although you don’t have to buy the complete package. Saleen will offer all the parts individually in case you just want to upgrade piecemeal.