And Sometimes Y: The Newest Tesla gets the T Sportline Treatment
By Glenn Oyoung
It’s no secret that SUVs and their smaller counterparts CUVs have taken over the automotive industry, accounting for almost half of all auto sales in the U.S. in 2018. America’s fascination with CUVs in particular is exploding, hence the rush by every major car company to launch travel-sized SUVs. With that in mind, it only makes sense that Elon Musk is counting on the Model Y — the Model 3’s CUV taller twin and Model X’s little brother — to sell more than all of its other models.
That being said, the Model Y has caught some flak with Tesla fans and industry veterans alike for its looks. Bob Lutz, father of the iconic cars like the Dodge Viper and game changers like the Chevy Volt called the Y “terminally ugly.” Tesla obviously disagrees, and is projecting half a million combined Model 3 and Y sales.
T Sportline is in the business of elevating Tesla’s to new highs of style and performance. The company just completed work on the first customized Model Y in the country, and the finished product should convince even the harshest critics to do a double take.
Exterior: Details Matter
Early Model 3’s suffered from paint issue claims. No reasonable person expects a new car like the Model Y to escape this altogether. T Sportline found that this early Model Y’s paint was fairly good to start with. However, the company’s clientele is not the type to settle for “fairly good.” With that in mind T Sportline did a full paint correction and applied Ceramic Pro 9H paint protection coating to produce a glasslike finish that brings out the Model Y’s deep blue color.
T Sportline painted the shiny hood and trunk Tesla emblems matte black and the plain silver Tesla brake calipers in a bright red. These little details let onlookers know this is no ordinary Model 3 and remind the driver that they are in a CUV that can hang if not beat most gas-powered cars on the road.
Interior: The Cool Factor
The Model Y features a glass roof that is great for occupant’s views – but can also create an oven especially in the scorching Southern California summertime. TSportline used 3M Crystalline window tint (70% on windshield, roof, and hatch; 40% on front doors) to cut UV rays by a whopping 99.9%.
The other benefit of course is that the Model Y looks exponentially cooler (pun intended) with the darker greenhouse. Speaking of cool, the cockpit gets an infusion of swagger with T Sportline’s carbon fiber dash cover in matte finish.
Wheels & Tires: Running Shoes
Changing the wheels is almost always the first modification because they enhance the look of any car and also the performance. TSportline installed a set of their tried-and-true 20x10" TSS Flow Forged Wheels in Matte Black on the Model 3, wrapped in factory Goodyear Eagle F1 Asymmetric 5 255/40-20" TO tires. The lighter wheels not only look tough – they provide an improvement in handling and acceleration due to reduction in unsprung weight, and accept traditional Tesla factory center caps and TPMS sensors.
Conclusion
T Sportline has just scratched the surface with this build. With Model Y sales projected to explode, T Sportline will no doubt continue to bring its formidable design and production skillset to bear and bring out more performance options in the future.
2020 Deep Blue Metallic Tesla Model Y Long Range Dual Motor Specifications:
Exterior
- Ceramic Pro 9H paint protection coating
- 3M Crystalline Window Tint -70% Windshield -70% Roof & Hatch -40% Front Doors
- Painted Hood & Trunk Emblems in Matte Black
- Custom Painted Brake Calipers in Tesla Red Interior
- 20" TSS Flow Forged Wheels in Matte Black
- Factory Goodyear Eagle F1 Asymmetric 5 255/40-20" TO tires
Interior