S-Klub LA, a private Coach design studio in southern California, builds and designs artistic automobiles. They’re individually unique and one-of-a-kind, and S-Klub decided that it was time to take their retro touch and put it on a Tesla Model 3.
Tesla rebuilds – using the motors and batteries – are extremely popular with retro car modders. It’s an easy way to have a highly performant vehicle – without needing to hunt down or hand-produce old parts for vehicles that aren’t made anymore. Additionally – this leaves them with a lot more space on the inside and less maintenance to perform. Some modders even go as far as including a speaker to emulate engine noises.
But this rebuild is a bit more unique… Let’s get into it.
Mercedes 300SL or Model 3?
The base body is actually a Mercedes 300SL, with some modifications made to fit the battery, motors, and computers of a Model 3. Interestingly, this isn’t actually a real Mercedes 300SL body, but rather a fiberglass replica. The car was previously displayed at Specialty Equipment Market Association (of the automotive aftermarket) – or SEMA SHOW 2023 in Las Vegas.
The Tiffany 300 SL, as it’s named by S-Klub LA, took some extensive work to build, with many of the parts hand-made and hand-designed to build a convincing classic Gullwing body.
The Tiffany moniker comes from the fashion brand Tiffany Co – it’s their brand Tiffany Green and Blue that decorates this car inside out. The car drives and is fully functional, which is definitely a testament to the team’s engineering skills.
The interior, in Tiffany colours, replete with Tesla steering wheel and central screen.
Not a Tesla App
Mercedes With FSD?
The folks at S-Klub LA did go through the work of re-installing the Autopilot Cameras and re-using the main Tesla infotainment and Autopilot computers – something that very few retro EV-modders do. This vehicle is definitely more Model 3 than Mercedes – the steering wheel and steering rack, as well as the entire central infotainment system are still intact.
According to the listing information – because yes, you could buy this thing if you wanted – since all the cameras and sensors are intact, it is possible to enable Autopilot on this vehicle. We’re not sure exactly how well that would work – considering the positions of the cameras are likely no longer the same as the original Model 3, the wheelbase has been changed, and the car is an entirely different shape.
We definitely would not recommend trying this vehicle with Autopilot - especially given how long it takes Tesla to simply get AP working on a new vehicle chassis like the Cybertruck - which won’t get FSD or AP until V12.5.
Another shot of the
Not a Tesla App
Definitely Retro
It’s absolutely an original vehicle – that we can say for sure. The Gullwing 300SL is quite a popular vehicle – a 1955 300SL recently sold in 2022 for $6.8 million at RM Sotheby’s auction – but that was an intact, original vehicle, not a replica hull built over a Model 3.
S-Klub LA doesn’t actually list any prices for their one-of-a-kind vehicles, but if for some reason you love Tifanny colors and the idea of a 1955 Gullwing with semi-functional Tesla Autopilot, you can check out their store page.
Build Process
You can check out a video recap of their build process here.
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For the first time in quite a while, Tesla has increased the price of one of its vehicle offerings. The Model S Long Range and the Model S Plaid have both received a hefty price increase. However, not all is bad - as Tesla also added a new benefit for buyers.
Price Increase
The price increase for the Model S is $5,000 - currently only in the United States. This price increase will likely impact other markets, including Canada, in the coming days.
The Model S Long Range now starts at $79,990, while the Model S Plaid now starts at $94,990. The Model S and Model X now have the same starting price. Interestingly, that’s also the same pricing point for the Cybertruck AWD and Cyberbeast Trimotor non-Foundation Series.
The vehicle configuration does not appear to have changed, so the new pricing is simply an increase rather than the addition or removal of features. Tesla previously cut the price of the Model S and Model X by 15% in 2023, so this could simply be an adjustment to ensure that the vehicle pricing stays in line with inflation and other factors.
Free Lifetime Supercharging
For those on the fence about ordering a Model S, Tesla has brought back Free Lifetime Supercharging when you order a new Model S on or after December 13, 2024. As always, Free Lifetime Supercharging is restricted to the buyer’s Tesla account and to that specific vehicle. It cannot be transferred to another vehicle or another owner after ownership transfer. It’s worth noting, that it also doesn’t exclude the owner from receiving Supercharger idle fees or congestion fees. There is currently no end date for this promotion.
There are currently no changes to the Model X, neither a price increase nor the addition of Lifetime Superchargering. However, when Tesla makes changes to one of their premium vehicles, it usually affects the other one as well. So be on the lookout for potential changes to the Model X offering in the coming days.
We’ve seen Tesla value Lifetime Supercharging at $5,000, so this falls in line with the price increase we’re seeing. It’s possible that Tesla will begin to bring back Lifetime Supercharging as a perk for buying into their more premium Model S and Model X cars, or this could be another temporary promotion to get buyers who are on the fence to go ahead and make their purchase while this promotion lasts.
Tesla recently showed off a demo of Optimus, its humanoid robot, walking around in moderately challenging terrain—not on a flat surface but on dirt and slopes. These things can be difficult for a humanoid robot, especially during the training cycle.
Most interestingly, Milan Kovac, VP of Engineering for Optimus, clarified what it takes to get Optimus to this stage. Let’s break down what he said.
Optimus is Blind
Optimus is getting seriously good at walking now - it can keep its balance over uneven ground - even while walking blind. Tesla is currently using just the sensors, all powered by a neural net running on the embedded computer.
Essentially, Tesla is building Optimus from the ground up, relying on as much additional data as possible while it trains vision. This is similar to how they train FSD on vehicles, using LiDAR rigs to validate the vision system’s accuracy. While Optimus doesn’t have LiDAR, it relies on all those other sensors on board, many of which will likely become simplified as vision takes over as the primary sensor.
Today, Optimus is walking blind, but it’s able to react almost instantly to changes in the terrain underneath it, even if it falls or slips.
What’s Next?
Next up, Tesla AI will be adding vision to Optimus - helping complete the neural net. Remember, Optimus runs on the same overall AI stack as FSD - in fact, Optimus uses an FSD computer and an offshoot of the FSD stack for vision-based tasks.
Milan mentions they’re planning on adding vision to help the robot plan ahead and improve its walking gait. While the zombie shuffle is iconic and a little bit amusing, getting humanoid robots to walk like humans is actually difficult.
There’s plenty more, too - including better responsiveness to velocity and direction commands and learning to fall and stand back up. Falling while protecting yourself to minimize damage is something natural to humans - but not exactly natural to something like a robot. Training it to do so is essential in keeping the robot, the environment around it, and the people it is interacting with safe.
We’re excited to see what’s coming with Optimus next because it is already getting started in some fashion in Tesla’s factories.
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