Untouched 2010 Tesla Roadsters go up for sale after sitting in shipping crate in China for the last 13 years
- A trio of unused Teslas are up for sale after being abandoned for 13 years
- The Sport editions of the car were sold for around £102,644 on release in 2010
- The last bid on their auction page was £600,00 for all three Tesla Roadsters
If Elon Musk built a time machine, this might just be the result.
Three untouched 2010 Tesla Roadsters have been put up for sale after sitting in an abandoned shipping crate for the last 13 years.
The sought after Sport Models – in ‘almost perfect condition’ – were never collected by their buyer after being delivered to a Chinese port, it is said.
Now, Arizona-based Tesla Roadster broker Gruber Motor Company has listed them for sale, with £600,000 ($750,000) as the last bid for all three.
The firm explained: ‘Each Roadster for sale has a story, and we encourage sellers to share. This one is going to blow your mind.
Pictured: A trio of unused Teslas are up for sale after being abandoned for 13 years
‘So, what if you could go back in time, Tesla time that is, and buy a brand new Roadster from Tesla? Would you do it?
‘Here is your chance, since a time capsule has just been opened, and here is the interesting tale: In 2010, a customer in China bought three brand new US spec LHD Roadsters from Tesla.
‘They got shipped to a dock in China, but were abandoned by the buyer.
‘They have been sitting in sea containers, at a port, since 2010, untouched, accruing storage charges. Storage charges are being paid for by the seller.’
The three cars are listed as a ‘Radiant Red’ Sport Roadster, and two ‘Very Orange’ Sport Roadsters.
The Sport editions of the car were sold for around $128,500 (£102,644) on release in 2010.
Gruber say they have not been able to check the motors in person and will be shipping them to the USA ‘mid-May’.
At this point they do not even know if the cars will start, as their battery packs have lay dormant for thirteen years.
The Sport editions of the car were sold for around £102,644 on release back in 2010
The cars were discovered in a shipping crate and are now up for auction on Gruber
The ‘almost perfect’ Sport Models were apparently delivered to a Chinese port and left there
The last bid displayed on their auction page was £600,00 for all three Tesla Roadsters
They add: ‘What we do not yet know is if the ESS pack Service Plugs were pulled before shipment, and even more intriguing, if they were, is there any life left in the packs after 13 years of storage. We will not know until they are retrieved and fired up.
‘We also do not know how many, if any, miles were on odometers from testing/delivery of new Roadsters.
‘Once, or if, the Roadsters come back to the US, they will be shipped to Gruber Motors for a full technical review.’
Each Roadster has unopened boxes in the trunk, assumed to be brand new charge cables, and a large box external to the car which is thought to be a hard top with carrying case.
Gruber say: ‘Due to the bizarre nature of this set of brand new Roadsters and collectible status, this owner is accepting bids at this time only, and is trying to sell them as a set, but would entertain splitting them up.’
