Thanks a lot, if you are not aware of any other, then there is no other Thanks to an earlier post in this forum, I did know that the white Brabus VP18 started out as red. I have a red Roadster already and I do like the white paint, but not sure if I want to drive it in the snow, suspecting the low car will be almost invisible. Here is a video of it driving in the snow: The wheels in the picture of the white Brabus you posted are a kind I never saw on this car, Tesla original, not the 19"/18" wheels in the picture above.
Keep forgetting to reply to this thread, but here it is: And yes, i just checked, my rims are also pointing in the wrong direction..
Found the San Carlos facility on Google Streetview, captured in April 2008. Thunder Gray and Glacier Blue parked out back... possibly VP11 and VP16? Back of workshop at 1050 Bing St, San Carlos, CA.
Reviving this thread...now that we have dozens of new owners active on the forums, let's see some more assembly dates. For those curious, pulling the parking brake grants access to the "i" Information menu, followed by "Vehicle Model" button. Mine below. Also, for what it's worth, prior Roadsters I've owned or known about - VIN 1213 - Jan.01.2011 VIN 523 - Jun.23.2009 VIN 1414 - Aug.24.2011 VIN 543 - Jun.30.2009
I bought my Roadster in Menlo Park in May 2011 vin #1180. I walked into the showroom with my son, took a test drive and was told there was a 3 month wait to get a car. But a deal had fallen through on one in the lot, so I bought it right then. But now looking at the vehicle model as above, it was made 12/13/2010. I have always been told mine was a 2011 model car. It is a 2.5 (well, now a 3.0). I always thought most cars assigned the new model year in the fall--but that Tesla used the calendar year. So what is the scoop? Is my car a 2010 or a 2011 model? Is the dividing line by date or vin number? As a separate question I'm sure has been asked many times before but I can't find the answer, of the roughly 1500 Roadsters sold in the US, how many are still on the road? And how many are still owned by the original owner?
2011 "Model Year" started with VIN 1170 for North American Roadsters. Position 10 of your VIN is a "B" which indicates 2011 "model year." Nobody seems to have a good idea of how many are still on the road now. Possibly some insurance company data tracks that, but I have not seen any such thing published.
Weird. As above I bought my #1180 with a lower VIN in May of 2011--after yours! Mine was manufactured 12/2010--so I wonder where it was all those months?
Looking at TEG's list, a few VIN birth dates are out of order. Our birth dates are in order: Dec 2010 for #1180 and Feb 2011 for #1244, so that doesn't seem so strange. I did not receive my car in February because it was actually built as a spec car and ended up in Colorado. I ordered it in the summer after the Seattle dealer did a search of inventory for Roadsters with my options selections. Looks like you also bought a spec car about six months after manufacture - you didn't custom-order #1180 as a pre-paid purchase, did you? I mention this because I previously pre-paid for #0681 and would have locked in options if the stock market crash hadn't occurred. When my opportunity to purchase #1244 came along, Tesla was no longer accepting custom orders because they had "sold out" of Roadsters. So, I bought a spec VIN. Much to my chagrin, Tesla later decided to shuffle around some European gliders to feed the hungry US market, and suddenly they were taking custom orders again. By that time, it was too late for me - I was already driving around in my Roadster. I assume that the gliders arrived in California from Lotus, and then Tesla installed the motor, battery, and PEM, after which they installed and started the firmware for the first time. That first time stamp in the firmware is what determines the birth date. I can't recall, but there might be some trouble cars that needed firmware re-installed, and those might have mysterious birth dates.
Some interesting bits I've found on #113 while it's apart. "40" is etched onto the bulkhead, suggesting it was the 40th glider made in October 2008. On the interior side, found what appears to be the mounting for a medallion that had been ground off. My wild guess is that this Thunder Gray glider was originally slated to be a Signature car, then its buyer backed out or decided at the last minute to get a different color.
I keep wondering how accurate those birthday icons are, or what constitutes "birth". Mine says January 1, 2010. New Years' Day? Really? 1/1/10 was a Friday... Is that better or worse than a car built on a Monday?