The drivable "mule" (modified Elise)

[Roadster]

@Danny_ wishing you all the best and hoping you can reunite the body, brains and heart of that car. Here's a link to the For Sale post for posterity's sake:

https://www.huskyhalfwayhouse.org/post/tesla-mule-1-for-sale-to-benefit-project-bark-park

BTW, anyone else here dying to see some t-shirts printed with that original Tesla "T"?!

Finally, found more photos of the Mule 1 here. Nice to see @Martin and Elon coexisting in the same car. Look at the size of the original motor

 

[slcasner]

Look at the size of the original motor View attachment 472350

That looks like the motor made by AC Propulsion as part of their AC 150 Drive System. The PEM box certainly looks like it.

What caught my eye was the inductive charger for the EV1 in the background. I have one of those, currently on loan to the Petersen Automotive Museum for a display.

 

[Roadster]

Adding a few more higher res photos as well as the txt from the Craigslist ad here so we have this piece of history memorialized.


TRADE the first Tesla for a new Tesla Model S - $100000 (mountain view)

FOR SALE OR TRADE - 2002 Lotus Elise AKA Tesla Mule 1. OR TRADE. The very first Tesla. The very Lotus Elise chassis that Tesla bought from Lotus to build and test their battery for the Tesla Roadster. This Elise is also one of the first spec Elise's Lotus brought to the US to show off to prospective buyers.

I am a single mom with a nonprofit and want to trade this car for a new Tesla Model S.

This is not a running car with a registerable title, it is solely a collector's item or rather an investment. It is the first Tesla. It goes without saying that this piece is already and will continue to be priceless.

This chassis is for sale and a local nonprofit gets to benefit from it. With the sale of this piece, Husky Halfway House Foundation, a husky rescue in Eufaula, OK, gets to build a community dog park and low cost vet clinic and the buyer gets a tax deduction. Please contact me for more information on the piece and to negotiate a deal. The deal will can include a tax deduction, a business deal or investment or be a straight sale. The sky is the limit. I have a goal though and I wont sell this cheap so please don't respond with offers of less than 100, the current offer on the table. 1.5 million animals die in shelters in the USA every year. I need enough to help put an end to this. I am not trying to get rich.. 1/3 of the sale of this piece is a cash donation with a tax deduction and the rest goes to build the facilities that will house the nonprofit activities. Please share this post with anyone you think may be interested in this rare piece of history and the impact it can make on a local community.

 

[MayorMcCheese]

I have the car. Thanks to Jen and Rob for being so helpful regarding information on this car, and again to Rob for delivering it. I don't intend to race it; just to restore it.

I am now working to recover as many of the original parts as possible. I understand that JB may have some of these, perhaps others from that era may have them or know of them. I don't seek to diminish the value of this car by fitting anything into it that would not have been available in 2004, except, perhaps, more modern lithium cells.

 

[EVPioneer]

( I put the names on that pic btw... )

I know this reply is many years after this thread was relevant, I just found the thread out of the blue.

I am Ryan D in the team image above. Not long after this photo, I started a career in the wind energy industry where I have had a fulfilling career starting from the ground floor and working my way up. I was only 24 when this picture was taken, and I had a lot to learn and a lot to offer. I didn't have any engineering mentors growing up. This group put me on a good path and opened my eyes in many ways. I am a very different and better person today, and it is in part thanks to this team.

To the car's owner: You will find signatures for Phil L, and I buried in a spot way up in the passenger footwell. We put them there out of sight and in a place where we thought they would last forever.

I am curious if TEG or someone who can connect me with the owner of the car can DM me. I may be able to help you with some historical details, photos that no one has seen, and maybe more.

Ryan Dela

 

[eHorses]

I know this reply is many years after this thread was relevant, I just found the thread out of the blue.

I am Ryan D in the team image above. Not long after this photo, I started a career in the wind energy industry where I have had a fulfilling career starting from the ground floor and working my way up. I was only 24 when this picture was taken, and I had a lot to learn and a lot to offer. I didn't have any engineering mentors growing up. This group put me on a good path and opened my eyes in many ways. I am a very different and better person today, and it is in part thanks to this team.

To the car's owner: You will find signatures for Phil L, and I buried in a spot way up in the passenger footwell. We put them there out of sight and in a place where we thought they would last forever.

I am curious if TEG or someone who can connect me with the owner of the car can DM me. I may be able to help you with some historical details, photos that no one has seen, and maybe more.

Ryan Dela

Thanks Ryan for sharing. It’s currently on display at the Peterson automotive museum -

INSIDE TESLA: SUPERCHARGING THE ELECTRIC REVOLUTION​

Gen1 Roadster F#1 at Peterson Automotive Museum’s “Inside Tesla” display 11/20/22 to 10/22/23

“Here's a closer look at the 1st Generation Tesla Roadster - Founders Edition! The culmination of extensive testing and experimentation, Roadster debuted to the public in 2006, at one of the company’s first public-relations events held at the Santa Monica Airport. While it borrowed from the...

teslamotorsclub.com

Last I knew, the car is currently owned by the principals at The Electrified Garage-

Amesbury MA

www.electrifiedgarage.com

I’m sure RichRebuild and his team would love to learn about the history of this mule from you! Please keep us posted.

 

[TEG]

I know this reply is many years after this thread was relevant, I just found the thread out of the blue.

I am Ryan D in the team image above. Not long after this photo, I started a career in the wind energy industry where I have had a fulfilling career starting from the ground floor and working my way up. I was only 24 when this picture was taken, and I had a lot to learn and a lot to offer. I didn't have any engineering mentors growing up. This group put me on a good path and opened my eyes in many ways. I am a very different and better person today, and it is in part thanks to this team.

To the car's owner: You will find signatures for Phil L, and I buried in a spot way up in the passenger footwell. We put them there out of sight and in a place where we thought they would last forever.

I am curious if TEG or someone who can connect me with the owner of the car can DM me. I may be able to help you with some historical details, photos that no one has seen, and maybe more.

Ryan Dela

Even though I had managed to dig up the names of that team, and label that photo, I don't really know any of you folks directly, except having run into Martin at a number of different events.

The mule had sat as just a bare chassis (after someone had stripped out the EV components), and there had been some plan to turn it into an ICE race car, but then eventually the idea of a Tesla "historical" exhibit at Petersen came to be and interest rose in restoring it. Someone already did a lot of research on it, and obtained similar or original components to do what they could to put it back the way it was again before it got put on display at the Petersen exhibit. I am not sure if it is in full working/running operating order again, or just a static display vehicle now. [ Edit: apparently it lacks a battery at the moment. ]

I was at the Petersen recently and got a good look at it.

 

[eHorses]

Even though I had managed to dig up the names of that team, and label that photo, I don't really know any of you folks directly, except having run into Martin at a number of different events.

The mule had sat as just a bare chassis (after someone had stripped out the EV components), and there had been some plan to turn it into an ICE race car, but then eventually the idea of a Tesla "historical" exhibit at Petersen came to be and interest rose in restoring it. Someone already did a lot of research on it, and obtained similar or original components to do what they could to put it back the way it was again before it got put on display at the Petersen exhibit. I am not sure if it is in full working/running operating again, or just a static display vehicle now.

I was at the Petersen recently and got a good look at it.

Yes@TEG, Tesla hastily gutted out the electronics and drivetrain before selling it when they were under financial stress to a auto shop which specialized in lotus track cars. It subsequently got auctioned off to help raise money for an animal shelter in CA. I‘ve talked to the team that owns it and it’s far from being a functional car. The parts in it is for display only, as you see it at PAM. They’ve been trying to reach out to AC Propulsion and all the engineers involved to try to get it to drive again.

 

[MayorMcCheese]

I know this reply is many years after this thread was relevant, I just found the thread out of the blue.

I am Ryan D in the team image above. Not long after this photo, I started a career in the wind energy industry where I have had a fulfilling career starting from the ground floor and working my way up. I was only 24 when this picture was taken, and I had a lot to learn and a lot to offer. I didn't have any engineering mentors growing up. This group put me on a good path and opened my eyes in many ways. I am a very different and better person today, and it is in part thanks to this team.

To the car's owner: You will find signatures for Phil L, and I buried in a spot way up in the passenger footwell. We put them there out of sight and in a place where we thought they would last forever.

I am curious if TEG or someone who can connect me with the owner of the car can DM me. I may be able to help you with some historical details, photos that no one has seen, and maybe more.

Ryan Dela

@EVPioneer, please DM me. I’d be very happy to tell you about our progress and plans. Thanks for reaching out!

The car is at Petersen now and will be returned to the Electrified Garage in July, at which time we plan to build a battery, pull in some AC Propulsion staff, and some other early influences. At this point we’ll film the final steps as we get it to move again under its own power.

I can’t ****ing wait.

 

[Mluttik]

I had the winning bid a couple of years ago, but got cold feet at the end. Very happy to see the Electrified Garage plans. Can't ****ing wait either

 

[EVPioneer]

@EVPioneer, please DM me. I’d be very happy to tell you about our progress and plans. Thanks for reaching out!

The car is at Petersen now and will be returned to the Electrified Garage in July, at which time we plan to build a battery, pull in some AC Propulsion staff, and some other early influences. At this point we’ll film the final steps as we get it to move again under its own power.

I can’t ****ing wait.

I can't wait to help how I can! My role was to actually build the car and shoehorn all of the equipment into the tiny Elise. My wife discovered this thread this morning after I told her about it, she wants to see the car in the museum before it's move. She has planned and to reconnect