3 Mysterious 2010 Tesla Roadsters Were Abandoned in China. Now They Could Fetch Over $2 Million at Auction.
Three 2010 Tesla Roadsters with a mysterious backstory are now up for sale.
The vehicles were discovered in shipping containers in China and have been sitting unused for more than a decade, Gruber Motor Company—a Tesla repair shop that specializes in roadsters—said on its website.
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A businessman in China bought them in 2010, had them shipped to the country. They have since been abandoned at a dock where they have racked up storage fees, according to the site. The current owner of the cars—two red and one orange—eventually contacted the company to broker a sale.
The original buyer was a research and development center for a Chinese auto company, that subsequently went bankrupt, Gruber Motor Company owner Peter Gruber told Robb Report. The assumption is that the vehicles were intended for disassembly and reverse engineering.
Unfortunately, the cars will not be able to start. “They are dead because the battery has died or because the service plugs have been killed which would kill the cart,” Gruber said. “These cars will most likely go into a museum because the instant you put any miles on it, you will use your equity.”
A view of a red 2010 Tesla Roadster that has gone untouched for over a decade.
Another mystery is where the keys for the vehicles went: Gruber told Robb Report that they were supposed to be in one of the offices at the port where they are being held. However, the keys were not found in the offices, and the manager of those offices has since passed away. Gruber said his company has asked for replacement keys from Tesla.
The Gruber team is placing the Roadsters into new sea containers to prepare them for shipping to the winning bidder. If a sale doesn’t end up happening, the cars may go to Dubai because the city is a “free zone” that doesn’t have constraints like viewing permits that are required for prospective buyers wishing to examine the cars, Gruber said on its site.
Tesla released the Roadster, its very first model, back in 2008. The electric car company sold about 2,500 of the cars through 2012 for $100,000. Due to their rarity and historic nature, the convertibles are highly sought after. So far, a bidder has offered $2 million for all three vehicles. The auction has been extended, with a new closing date of June 2 at midnight.
“Everyone loves a barn find,” Gruber told Robb Report. “This is the first electrical vehicle barn find.”
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