A New Jersey dealer is trying to flip a barely-driven Tesla Model S Signature for $259,995 — roughly $100,000 more than what Tesla charged buyers for the collector’s edition.
The car carries VIN #71 and just 297 miles on the odometer, and it’s listed at J&S Autohaus in Ewing, New Jersey, for more than double the price of a standard Model S Plaid.
A $100,000 markup on a car Tesla just built
The listing prices the vehicle at $259,995, plus a $495 documentation fee, for an all-in total of $260,490. It’s a one-owner car with a clean Carfax, zero accidents, and a clean title, according to the AutoCheck report attached to the ad.
Everything about it points to a Signature Series unit: the exclusive Garnet Red paint, gold brake calipers on carbon-ceramic brakes, 21-inch wheels, and a low VIN ending in S00071. Tesla built only 250 Signature Model S sedans — each with a numbered dash plate reading 1/250 through 250/250 — as part of an invite-only, 350-vehicle farewell run for the Model S and Model X.
Tesla priced the Model X Signature at $159,420 and the Model S Signature landed in a similar range around $155,000. So the J&S Autohaus ask represents roughly a $100,000 premium over Tesla’s own price for the car — before the buyer has even taken delivery.
The markup looks even steeper against a regular Plaid. Tesla’s final Model S Plaid inventory sold for $124,900, meaning this listing is priced at more than twice a standard, non-collector Plaid. Even the same dealer undercuts its own listing: J&S Autohaus has four other 2026 Model S Plaids on its lot ranging from $149,490 to $155,490, and base Model S units from $110,490.
Why someone thinks it’s worth a quarter million
The bet here is scarcity. The Signature Series is the last Model S and Model X Tesla will ever build. As we reported in April, Tesla ended Model S and Model X production, and the Fremont line that built them is being converted to manufacture Optimus humanoid robots.
Access was invite-only. Tesla emailed the offer to a select group of existing owners, and if you didn’t get the invite, you couldn’t buy one. That combination — 250 units, invitation-only, and a hard end to a 14-year program — is exactly the kind of setup that attracts flippers hoping to cash in on collectors who missed the list.
The “Signature” name also carries history. When the Model S first launched in 2012, the first ~2,000 cars sold were Signature editions that required a $40,000 deposit and cost nearly $100,000 each. Those early owners were Tesla’s original believers, and this final run is a deliberate bookend to that story. I still own one of the original Tesla Model S Signature.
The problem is what the car actually is. Beneath the Garnet Red paint and gold badges, the Signature is fundamentally the same Model S Plaid that Tesla has left largely unchanged since the 2021 refresh — no new battery cells, no faster charging, no steer-by-wire, no meaningful range gain. Buyers are paying a six-figure premium for a paint color, some gold trim, and a numbered plate.
Electrek’s Take
The car looks pretty sick. It has an aggressive but elegant look. Model S’ design is pretty timeless. I’m still upset they killed it. They could have upgraded it with the latest battery cells for more range and faster charging, and added steer-by-wire, and it would still be a very compelling EV today.
But as a collector item, I’m skeptical they’ll get close to this price. The original 2012 Signatures are instructive here — they were genuinely historic, the first 2,000 Model S ever made, and they did not appreciate into six-figure collector cars.
I still own one, and it’s in pretty good condition.
I doubt I could get $50,000 for it today. Obviously, a new Model S Signature Plaid can fetch more, but I don’t think it would be anywhere near that markup.
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