Ares has built a roofless Tesla Model S

Italian coachbuilder Ares has pulled the wraps off its latest creation, a privately commissioned Tesla Model S convertible.

While Ares is not the first to chop off a Model S roof, it’s one of the most qualified for the job; its curriculum vitae includes the Pantera-inspired Project Panther supercar and the 522kW V8 powered S1.

The roof isn’t the only thing deleted from this particular Model S, either, since engineers have also removed the rear doors to make way for longer front doors.

The B-pillars, too, are gone, while the rear boot accommodates a folding roof mechanism.

Providing the structural rigidity crucial to handling is extra strengthening on the side members and underneath the cockpit, Ares Design says.

Now that its interior is reconfigured, Ares has also completely re-upholstered the cabin, especially at the rear which is now accessed through the front. The roof lining, meanwhile, is finished in a dark Alcantara.

As a finishing touch, Ares Design fitted the convertible Model S with a carbon fibre aero kit, adorning the side skirts, rear bumper and front lip with a new aggressive design, while the rear boot features a ducktail lip spoiler. New wheels feature, as well.

All Ares Design projects are completed in the firm’s 2.3-hectare site based in Modena, where CEO (and former Lotus head man) Dany Bahar says a “co-create philosophy allows clients to work side by side with our designers and engineers to create their very own bespoke vehicle, a service that is unique to Ares.

“This Tesla project is a superb example of this; it was a pure coachbuilding project which we very much enjoy doing and seeing the results of our uncompromising standards."

Bahar founded Ares with Dubai-based business partner Waleed Al Ghafari, attracting multinational investors to the brand’s concept-to-creation service.

It's not the first car to come out of the operation; the eye-wateringly expensive Lamborghini Huracan-based Panther program has yielded 21 orders, claims the company, at a price tag north of $800,000 before the donor car is factored in.