When everyone on the block has the same car as everyone on the next block, you want something to make your ride a little different. Preferably more powerful. Anyone who's sat through any one of the Fast and the Furious movies can understand why: As long as there have been cars, there have been men and women turning wrenches to make them go faster and look cooler.

The growing popularity of electric vehicles made it only a matter of time before custom car shops started modifying cars with cords. And since the Tesla Model S is the best of the bunch, that's where Saleen Automotive started. This is awesome for two reasons. The first is that the Model S is a terrific car, now made even more so. The second is that it opens a new class of vehicles to the glories of hot rodding. Consider this modified Model S, dubbed the FourSixteen, the icebreaker in the new world of sport-tuned EVs.

Things are different here. Standard methods for making a car faster and more powerful, like using a supercharger or tweaking the engine management computer, don't work when there's no fuel or combustion. There's little to be tinkered with between the battery, motor and driveshaft. Saleen, known for squeezing extra power out of already big engines, needed a fresh approach.

The custom shop didn't mess with Tesla's AC induction motor, but it did add its own locking differential and upgraded the drivetrain with an 11.39:1 final gear ratio. This means the rear tires can spin a bit more freely, so smoking the tires is easier. The change doesn't add any power or boost acceleration (and Saleen hasn’t given an official zero-to-60 time), but it's easier to drive the car slightly more irresponsibly. Especially since the Saleen car, like the most powerful version of the Model S, delivers 416 horsepower (thus the name).

Other modifications make the car look sportier and drive better. Saleen added sideskirts to reduce lift and gave the sexy sedan a rear wing and more aerodynamic hood to boost downforce. It upgraded the suspension, and added carbon-ceramic brakes. Even without combustion, electric cars need to keep their motors from overheating, so Saleen gave the drive unit and battery's cooling system a radiator with more volume, more powerful fans, and a new water pump. Handling gets sportier with Saleen's proprietary S4 suspension system. The FourSixteen sits on 21- and 22-inch rims, and the interior's dressed in leather and Alcantara seats.

"Saleen has become synonymous with the passion for American performance," the shop says. The Tesla is the most innovative and impressive car to come out of the United States in a long time, so it's only fitting that it got the custom treatment. And now that Saleen has toyed with an EV, others may follow. “I think it’s cool, I wouldn’t mind doing an electric hot rod,” says Bodie Stroud, a veteran customizer who’s worked with the likes of Johnny Depp and Tim Allen. “We’ve been approached, but no one’s been able to pull the trigger.” Why not? Most of his customers are older, and they're looking for a car that will evoke the past, which means an internal combustion engine, noise, fumes, and all. Besides that, “Most people depend on a car to go more than 100 miles when they come to me," Stroud says. Although the most expensive Model S can cover 265 miles on charge, current EV technology doesn't line up with the freedom and nostalgia provided by a traditional hot rod.

The decision for owners who want something special to drive ends up being emotional. In Stroud's experience, the appeal of a high-performance custom car comes from qualities that just can’t be replicated with electricity. “When you’ve got this thing running bitchin’,” he says, “that’s all part of the experience. The noise, the exhaust.”

Certainly, the 1951 Mercs and 1965 Mustangs that Stroud builds are for a different crowd than customers looking at the FourSixteen, but hot rods are meant to be slightly uncivilized, different from what you find on the dealer lot. Electric cars are, in this sense, so sensible that even with instant torque, it can be hard to make them thrilling. Now, at least, we know the right folks are trying.