NorthWest Auto Salon

You may have drooled over the press images on the web & in magazines before the debut. You’ve probably seen them on the street. Chances are, you’ve even driven right by one and mistook it for something much more primitive without batting an eye. It’s been touted as one of Time Magazine’s “Best Inventions of 2012,” titled the “Green Car of the Year” for 2013, and was awarded some of the top honors from both Automobile & Motor Trend Magazine. Beyond that, it’s the highest scoring car in the history of Consumer Reports – so much so, that it would probably rank “Perfect,” if only it was self powered. With sales numbers already reaching into the 20s of thousands, and nearly all positive reviews across the board, it’s easy to see how the Tesla Model S really might be a true “car of the future.” Given a chance to drive one, you might agree even more so.

But does the Model S truly look the part as a car of tomorrow?

When you see one parked, or get passed up on the freeway, does it make you emote in such a way that childhood dreams of jet powered cars & hover boards would? Some would say yes; others would argue that it’s too understated, or simply too plain. The reality is, the car was styled by someone who previously worked for Mazda of North America, and in a way, it shows. Sure, the interior components are adorned with quality materials, spartan styling and a chic, minimalist, brand direction. Yes, it’s set up with enough tech to make your parents feel like they just stepped on board the Starship Enterprise, but purely from a point of appearance, one can only ask, is it “future” enough?

Cue the dramatic music.

In order to formulate any answers to this line of questioning, action needed to be taken. We couldn’t sit idle and let one more Model S hit the streets without something being done to break up the monotony of generic gloss and metallic. Nothing wild really, just a little bit of a bump to give the silent sleeper a hardened edge. Something to make the Model S seem less iPhone 5-ish, and more like a Predator Drone.

NWAS Tesla Model S vehicle wrap in satin XPEL Stealth paint protection matte black film

Utilizing one of the latest paint protection products from XPEL known simply as “Stealth,” and a few yards of matte black vehicle wrap film, we transformed this Model S from its original state into a chrome-free, satin surfaced masterpiece. The factory color still shows through, only now the rather run-of-the-mill navy blue is more of a midnight azure, with a silky, flattened finish that looks like it would be right at home on a Maserati MC12.

NWAS Tesla Model S vehicle wrap in satin XPEL Stealth paint protection film

Some of the trickiest bits of this wrap were without a doubt the most vital to pulling the look together. Since the Model S has flush door handles that are reactive to proximity, we couldn’t simply wrap the chrome handle face and leave the internals shiny. Now, the entire handle is covered so even when it’s fully extended in the “open” position, there isn’t even a sliver of shine visible.

NWAS Tesla Model S vehicle wrap in satin XPEL Stealth paint protection matte black film

On top of the handles and window trims, we also opted to re-cap the wheels with a die-cut matte black “T” insert, and blacked out the chrome mirror struts to match.

NWAS Tesla Model S vehicle wrap in satin XPEL Stealth paint protection matte

NWAS Tesla Model S vehicle wrap in satin XPEL Stealth paint protection film

NWAS Tesla Model S vehicle wrap in satin XPEL Stealth paint protection film

NWAS Tesla Model S vehicle wrap in satin XPEL Stealth paint protection film

To further our efforts in making the car even more stealth mode, we installed 20% window tint,  cut out some matte black inserts for the side markers, wrapped the entire rear trunk accent piece, blacked out all badges, and made the grill feel even more mouthy with every inch of chrome covered!

NWAS Tesla Model S vehicle wrap in satin XPEL Stealth paint protection film

NWAS Tesla Model S vehicle wrap in satin XPEL Stealth paint protection film

NWAS Tesla Model S vehicle wrap in satin XPEL Stealth paint protection film

Aside from only a couple color change wraps we’ve seen come out of the US, including Sergey Brin’s epic Pinkmobile, there aren’t too many other fully wrapped Teslas out in the wild. This might be the first satin wrapped Model S of its kind, but we’re sure it wont be the last!

Click through for more information on all of our vehicle wrap services, paint protection offerings, or feel free to hit us up with any questions or quote requests for your own XPEL Stealth package!