Remember the Roadster reveal?

[TEG]

How many were around watching when we didn't even know what the Roadster looked like yet?:

[ 2006 ]

 

[dpeilow]

I met Elon in 2005, does that count...?

 

[Norbert]

I met Elon in 2005, does that count...?

Only if you tell the story.

 

[AnOutsider]

They should do similar for the X, though I don't think they want to take hype away from the upcoming S launch.

 

[Mycroft]

Yep. If they're not careful, they could pull an Osborne.

 

[dpeilow]

Only if you tell the story.

Elon was on the board of my then employer. I was advocating the use of what was then called the Falcon V for the ESA project I was working on, so I button-holed him outside the office when he was visiting to ask about it.

 

[PopSmith]

Yep. If they're not careful, they could pull an Osborne.

While that is a possibility, it would take a very large number of Model S reservation holders to change to a Model X reservation to "kill" Tesla. According to our unofficial Model S Tally there are currently 7,571 Model S reservations. Even if a third of those jumped to a Model X reservation the first year of Model S production would still be sold out.

As for the Roadster reveal, I don't think I even knew of the Roadster's existence until 2008. As embarrassed as I am to admit this, when one of the VPs was in Iron Man I had no clue it was an EV and thought it was a (modified) Viper. :redface:

 

[vfx]

How many were around watching when we didn't even know what the Roadster looked like yet?:

[ 2006 ]

Funny I remember it as a gray cover. I emailed Martin asking about the car (and he answered (vaguely)) Maybe that was even before the countdown was on it.

How do you find these things...

 

[slcasner]

How many were around watching when we didn't even know what the Roadster looked like yet?

I was there at the unveiling. In fact, I had seen EP1 at the then-HQ a short time earlier. It had driveable covers on with blocks stuck on in various places under the covers to hide the shape (same as what the majors do when they take new cars out on the road), but Martin pulled off the covers so we could see the car for real. It was beautiful.

 

[vfx]

At the unveiling an engineer told me they would drive the Roadster around the south bay all the time. No cover or anything.

I guess nobody knew who they were or what they were doing. It could have been a kit car for all anyone would know. They were not a real car company at that time so who would photograph and "scoop" that?

 

[TEG]

Were they talking about the mule that still had an Elise body?

 

[PopSmith]

Were they talking about the mule that still had an Elise body?

Here's that one, from one of TEG's posts:

 

[vfx]

Were they talking about the mule that still had an Elise body?

He was talking about the cars that were there at the debut.