Tesla has officially brought the curtain down on the two legendary vehicles that laid the foundation for the entire modern electric vehicle movement. Earlier this week, on Tuesday, May 20, the automaker hosted a historic handover celebration at its Fremont factory in California. While the gathering was briefly pushed back from its original calendar date and actually started over an hour late on the big night, the Model S and Model X Signature Edition delivery event served as a nostalgic exclamation point to a legacy spanning more than a decade.
Exclusive “Garnet Red” Paint and Design Differences
To close the chapter, Tesla went all out in carefully designing bespoke features for the final 350 Signature Edition Model S and Model X vehicles. On the exterior, a new, deeper, and glossier “Garnet Red” coats the vehicles, and is paired with the premium white Alcantara interior.
A series of small and unique cosmetic touches help to mark them apart from the rest of the fleet as well. That includes a gold Plaid badge on the rear, a “Signature” applique on the liftgate, gold Plaid badging integrated into the seats, and a gold Tesla T badge on the front carbon fiber fascia. Additionally, unique to the Signature Edition, Tesla finished the door handles in body color rather than the standard black, and added unique gold-colored brake calipers and special Plaid puddle lights.
Inside the cabin, drivers are greeted by custom Signature door sills and a special dashboard badge verifying the car is one of only 250 (or 100, in the case of the Model X SE) ever made. Owners also receive a unique Signature Edition keyfob.
Bespoke VINs and Backlit Cabin Customization
These six-figure collector cars were strictly distributed via an invite-only purchasing arrangement that originally launched to select buyers last month. Priced at an identical $159,420 for both body styles, every order comes standard as a high-performance Plaid variant equipped with Tesla’s ultra-premium Luxe Package, which includes free Full Self-Driving, lifetime Supercharging, and more perks.
The level of personalization built into these final units extends straight into the vehicle's telemetry. Each car features a bespoke VIN structure that explicitly encodes the precise sequence number of the vehicle out of the limited production run. In the cabin, the signature series plate on the dashboard reads "1 of 250" or "1 of 100" and is fully backlit. The custom branding even carries over to the digital ecosystem, where the vehicle displays a unique Signature Edition badge right inside the official Tesla mobile app.
Signature Welcome Animations
The unique software touches are apparent the moment you step inside the cockpit and turn on the vehicle. As highlighted by @BLKMDL3 on X, "Signature Model S and Model X Plaid get special welcome animations on the UI, and they’re even VIN specific."
When the primary touchscreen wakes up, it foregoes the standard Tesla startup graphic and instead displays a custom cinematic sequence. The screen displays the classic Tesla logo in gold before slowly transforming into a gold-etched "Signature" cursive script, complete with the exact production placement of that specific car out of the 250 or 100 units built. The vehicles also have a special interior lighting sequence.
Signature Model S and Model X Plaid get m special welcome animations on the UI, and they’re even VIN specific. pic.twitter.com/c8gWj4bfo4
— Zack (@BLKMDL3) May 21, 2026
To better visualize how these final 350 vehicles stand apart from standard production Plaids, here is a breakdown of the structural differences:
Feature | Model S/X Signature Edition | Model S/X Plaid |
|---|---|---|
Purchase Price | $159,420 | $109,990 to $114,990 |
Ability to Buy | Invite-Only | Open to the Public |
Exterior Paint | Exclusive Metallic Garnet Red | Standard Paint Palette |
Interior | Gold Plaid Badging | Plaid Badging |
Door Handle Finish | Painted in Matching Garnet Red | Satin Black |
Puddle Lights | Special Plaid Puddle Lights | Standard Puddle Lights (No Graphic Projection) |
Side Mirrors | High-Gloss Deep Black | Body-Colored Matching Caps |
Brakes | Carbon Ceramic | Standard High-Performance Steel Brakes (Carbon Ceramics Available as Paid Upgrade) |
Brake Caliper Finish | Gold Painted Calipers | Red Painted Calipers |
Exterior Badging | Gold Frunk 'T’ + Gold Plaid and “Signature” Badges on Rear | Black Satin Elements and standard Plaid badge |
UI Startup Screen | VIN-Specific Gold Animation | “Tesla” animation |
Dashboard Accent Plate | Backlit Signature (1 of 250/1 of 100) Badge | None |
Making Room for the Optimus Era
The conclusion of this delivery cycle signals a massive operational shift for Tesla’s manufacturing ecosystem. The company officially closed standard consumer orders for the Model S and Model X back at the end of March to clear out its remaining backlogs. Over the past couple of weeks, the final production run of Signature models filled the outbound logistics lots at Fremont as factory lines completed their final passes.
A look at what seems to be @Tesla's Optimus humanoid robot pilot production line. pic.twitter.com/dYCRTTXlsV
— Sawyer Merritt (@SawyerMerritt) May 21, 2026
During the delivery event, Tesla showcased early footage of its pilot Optimus manufacturing line running directly inside the Fremont facility. The production teams are already actively tearing down and repurposing the massive floor space previously occupied by the legacy flagship lines. The factory space will now be fully converted to support mass manufacturing for the Optimus humanoid robot. While it is tough to watch these legendary vehicles leave the catalog, wrapping up their legacy with such an intricately detailed product shows that Tesla still knows how to honor its history while rushing headfirst into an AI-driven future.
