Want A Tesla Model S Convertible? Newport Engineering Says It’ll Build You OneWant A Tesla Model S Convertible? Newport Engineering Says It’ll Build You One

In theory, convertibles are the perfect way to enjoy electric motoring.
What better way to experience your zero-emissions car than with the roof down–enjoying the silence, the sounds of nature and the wind in your hair?
Tesla’s first car, the Roadster, offered just such an experience–and one California firm is now offering the same with its drop-top Model S.
Newport Convertible Engineering, based out of Huntington Beach, seems to turn just about anything into a convertible, if its website is anything to go on.
From Jaguars through SUVs to stretched limos, Newport touts endless convertible conversions, as well as 6×6 conversions of imposing off-roaders like Mercedes G-Wagens and Range Rovers.
The company claims to have received an order for 100 Model S convertibles from a Chinese investor, at a conversion cost of $29,000 per car.
Nice work if you can get it, and we’re intrigued to see the end result–the Tesla’s structure is formed from aluminum, so hacking the roof off to make a four-door convertible isn’t the simplest of tasks.
The cars will need significant structural re-engineering to account for the large hole where the roof once was–and designing a fabric roof to cover the car’s large interior is no mean feat, either.
Newport does have a 30-year history of convertible engineering, so we don’t doubt its intentions–though whether the end result will be quite as elegant as the firm’s computer-generated (well, hastily-photoshopped) images is a different matter.
The firm’s other four-door drop-top projects–including convertible Jaguar XJ sedans and Range Rovers–have a distinct pram-style quality to the roof, like that of an old Karmann-engineered Beetle convertible.
They also use a large roll-hoop to retain structural strength. To further the Volkswagen comparisons, that’s a little like you’d find on an old Rabbit convertible.
In other words, we’re not expecting the sleek, hoop-less design shown on Newport’s website.
Newport also says it’s officially requested a partnership with Tesla to build a further 5,000 Model S convertibles–and claims an announcement will be made on April 18.
Tesla itself has little to say on the matter. We reached out to communications manager Shanna Hendriks, who responded; “We don’t have any plans for a convertible at this time. We are very focused on developing Model X and bringing our mass market vehicle to market in about three years.”
That’s that, then–Tesla doesn’t have the time for official convertible projects.
And pending Newport’s design, we’re not sure they’d advocate a conversion that was any less than perfect. In the meantime, we’ll have to wait and see…
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