Posts by Pete Gruber

In May of 2012, the longest standard electric car journey to circumvent the globe in 80 days began, with Tesla Roadster, VIN 507. Rafael De Mestre, owner and driver, set several world records: 🏆Winning the first EV race around the world in a STANDARD all-electric vehicle; 🏆Being the first man to drive ALONE around the…

The first 11 Tesla Roadsters were actually produced in the UK, at the Hethel Plant. After this first production run, Lotus began shipping Gliders, or complete Roadsters without drive trains to the USA, to a small Tesla production facility in Menlo Park, CA, and then electrifying the Roadsters. This particular VIN #5 Roadster, has a…

As Roadsters move into collectible status, the pedigreed versions, like early signature 100 or 250EU cars get most of the attention. This Sig 47 Roadster showed its age and wear and tear, but the owner, recognizing its growing value, wanted to restore portions that would maintain originality and value. The paint was faded with cloudy…

This Roadster, VIN 1147, is one of the cleanest, well-preserved, electric blue 2010 Roadsters we have seen. We received a Tesla Roadster from Sedona, and were again surprised how well most owners take care of these iconic cars. The images of the Roadster were taken around our shop, sprinkled with images I have taken in…

This Roadster, VIN 1403, is on the final test drive in these pictures, and almost ready to go home. It came in with a dead, locked wheels, and a bricked battery, like so many of the Roadsters shipped to us. The instant it arrived, we put it on life support, since we always get a…

Tesla Roadsters have a weakness unlike later models, that if you do not charge them for a couple of months, they reach a state of charge low enough where the charge port will no longer allow a charge. The term coined in Tesla circles when this happens is a “Bricked” condition. The only recourse for…