Steenstra Styletto all-electric vehicle gives Tesla a run for its money
By Joseph L. Flatley 
posted September 14th 2009 2:57PM
posted September 14th 2009 2:57PM
Looks like the kids at Tesla have a little competition in the battery-powered sports car stakes. The brainchild of an auto industry consultant and designer named Cornelis Steenstra, the Styletto is apparently the first 200-mph-plus super sports car to be built in California. Sure, sure it is... perhaps a certain Steenstra GCM would like to lend us one so we can see for ourselves? No? In that case, it looks like we'll be waiting until its formal introduction at the 2010 Pebble Beach Concourse d' Elegance. (That's OK -- we were planning on being there anyways.) The company hopes to have 'em available for purchase in 2013, but in the meantime, do yourself a favor and hit the read link, where AutoBlog has all the PR and gallery action your heart craves.
First
... to take a bullet in the face.
hawt
Not. I hate this form factor, it is being use to much. E.g. Mclaren F1, Lambo, Ferrari, Cadillac and a numerous of other car makers.
drool
Of course it's going to be in that form factor. In terms of aerodynamics that is one of the best. It's also stylish. :-P
looks like a knock-off car from a b-rate racing game on that couldn't afford the royalties on a real car (likeness).
also - it's ugly.
The front has a batmobile sort of look going on. Not sure if this is a good or bad thing, but definitely doesn't give Tesla a "run for its money".
Does it come in matte?
I think its funny that some of the renders have a shadow and some don't. It's nit picky but it seems kinda lazy to me. I mean if I'm gonna pay the eventual exorbitant sum of money for this car, at least go all out on the promo renders ha ha.
People pay extra to be inconsistently shadowed.
I'm guessing it has a rear-view camera because there's no rear visibility in that thing.
If you can afford a car like that you can afford to never look back.
How bout some non shopped parking lot photos...
2013 ? At the rate at which technology is developing we will have a slew of electric sports car flooding the market.
Now when will we get full immersion virtual reality, bring on the nanobots.
Looks like someone left the model out in the sun for too long.
Anyone can draw a fancy e-sports car and claim 200 ka-jillion miles per hour, but will it need charging even 0.50 miles?
Tesla seems to come with door handles, mirrors...and is already in production. Gives it a few advantages....no?
Agreed. Though the McLaren MP4-12C doesn't have door handles either.
Oh, and the Tesla is more attractive.
for a while, i thought it was about high-heel shoes.
"...gives Tesla a run for its money"??? You gotta be kidding me. Can any bozo photoshop up a picture, talk about introducing a car in the fuzzy future, and get coverage here? One company actually makes a real car. The other is in a long line of wanna-be's whose best product is the press release. I think the time has come for Engadget to leave the wishful thinking to Popular Mechanics, and ask some serious questions before hyping every electric car press release that flies by.
Car needs a Techno theme song at 145BPM
I heard you can play "Duke Nukem Forever" on the dashboard display (looks like vaporware to me).
That car looks really practical. I'm sure we'll all be driving electric cars real soon thanks to companies like this.
Wow, a CGI picture and theoretical possibilities. FAIL.
Is that render next to an Enzo? It looks wider than the enzo... That's scary considering I think i remember a few reviews of the enzo saying it was almost _too_ wide for real world street driving. I bet it'll go around a track nice, but good like fitting it in a parking spot and not getting door dings. I guess if you can afford one of these, you'll be valet parking everywhere you go though.
Why does it look like Sideswipe from Revenge of the Fallen?
I think I wait until one exists before I get excited.
IF this ever goes into production (doubtful) it will be...what...4 times the price of a Tesla at the minimum. I fail to see how this gives Tesla a run for its money. They are trying to get at least a pseudo major audience for their cars at some point (the roadster is just the beginning), not just making expensive toys for some rich playboy or playgirl.
As a side note, I'm not really wanting my car's name to be this reminiscent of a specific type of women's shoe...
Everything about the Styletto looks great - except that awful and out of place front. To quote, "WFT!" Did the industrial designer get run over 90% through the design brief by a carbon emitting gas guzzling Hummer driven by a grumpy cigar chomping neocon?
WFT?! WTF!! LOL!
Since the Tesla with SOA batteries and tech has a top speed of 120 MPH (and that's because of natural constraints of electric motor torque vs horsepower issues) I'd like to see them bet me it would do 200 MPH
you know...just because a car looks sporty..shouldn't immediately make it more expensive (new technology and assembly aside)
"Looks like the kids at Tesla have a little competition in the battery-powered sports car stakes."
The "kids" at Tesla have a car that you can buy RIGHT NOW, not at some unconfirmed date in the future... so no, there's no competition to speak of.
The penguin called, he wants his car back.
That Styletto looks AMAZING. Can't wait to see the inside and the engine.
In seeing how it looks next to the Enzo... as much as I love the Enzo, I'd take the Styletto anyday. To me, the Enzo next to the Styletto looks like a "before and after" photo, with the Enzo looking positively outdated (at least from a profile view... but not as much from the front end).
I don't know how they're going to price this car, but I'd drive this beauty in a heartbeat.
Great job, Steenstra.
I do have to say, the only thing I don't care for so much at this point, is the name. "Styletto" sounds like a pen you'd buy at Office Depot.
This Styletto looks AMAZING. I'm eager to see the inside and the engine, etc.
In seeing how it looks next to the Enzo, and as much as I love the Enzo, I'd take the Styletto anyday (in black). The Enzo and Styletto next to each other look like a "before and after" photo, with the Enzo looking positively outdated (at least from a profile view, but not as much from the front).
I don't know how they'll price this car, but I'd drive one of these beauties in a heartbeat.
Great job, Steenstra.
Oh hey, look! Engadget finally posted my first post, but not until I posted a second time!
Engadget, would you PLEASE step out of 1997 and update your comment system... or at least let us know you're working on it?!
Crikey.
This photo-shopped car doesnt have shit on Tesla! Do they even have a prototype/working model to present to the public? Better yet, where are the specs?! I dont think so! What competition, theres nothing here to compete with Tesla lol!
Vaporware! Call me in 2013.
Thank you for all the comments. I really appreciate it. I am doing my best to turn this into reality, and this of course is only the initial concept design. It shows what we are shooting for, but our current version is already different from this.
We have a target sales price of $159,900. That is clearly above the Tesla, but we aim to offer better performance and superior quality, both in built quality as well as road holding, 2 of Teslas' renowned weaknesses. It is a long way to go, but getting all this publicity hopefully gets us on the right path to the passionate partners that can help this become reality. If, than this will be the first in a planned line up of 4 different vehicles.