Why Tesla's Design Chief Preserved His Model S Plaid #001

Franz von Holzhausen, Tesla’s chief designer, has sent his personal Model S Plaid Signature Edition, chassis 001, to tuning specialist Unplugged Performance for a careful preservation project. Rather than chasing extra power from the electric flagship, the team’s priority is protecting the car’s original paint and interior. The decision signals that even the man who shaped Tesla’s design language values the car as a collector piece over a performance experiment.

The move is notable because the Model S Plaid already sits at the top of Tesla’s sedan range, with blistering acceleration and a long electric range. Von Holzhausen’s choice to keep the powertrain stock suggests that, for those with access to the Signature Edition, the car’s inherent capabilities are more than enough. Preservation, not modification, is the goal.

For Saudi buyers, this matters in a segment that has grown crowded with luxury electric sedans. The Model S Plaid competes against the Lucid Air, which is produced locally, as well as the Porsche Taycan, Mercedes-AMG EQS, and Audi e-tron GT, all of which are available in the Kingdom. Tesla’s strong brand recognition and Supercharger network give it an edge, but rivals offer different styling and interior philosophies.

What Saudi shoppers should watch for is the growing culture of special-edition preservation. Early VINs and signature models may hold value differently from standard units. In a hot climate, paint and interior durability are practical concerns, so von Holzhausen’s focus on protective preservation is a sensible cue for owners who plan to keep their cars long-term.

The bigger takeaway is that the Plaid’s stock performance is already extreme enough that even its designer sees no need for additional tuning. Buyers choosing between a Plaid and its rivals should weigh daily usability and charging infrastructure over raw numbers, because at this level, the specifications are no longer the limiting factor.