3 Mysterious Brand-New Tesla Roadster ‘Barn Finds’ Discovered After 13 Years in China?
Updated: 5/24/2023
It’s hard to even imagine a Tesla barn find. For some reason, thinking about new technology covered in dust and grime in an old barn somewhere doesn’t really compute. Thankfully, for this trio of Tesla Roadsters, “barn finds,” these three sporty EVs were discovered in three sealed shipping containers in China without the first spec of dust on them. These cars were found as fresh and new as the day Elon sent one to space.
How did these Tesla “barn finds” get lost in China?
The listing says that the three Tesla Roadsters were bought new by the original owner, shipped to China, and abandoned for unknown reasons. However, the downside of finding three cars in storage for so long is that there was a pile of storage fees owed.
The selling party is a firm known as the Gruber Motor Group. Details on how the three Teslas ended up abandoned in shipping containers in China are unknown at this time. However, the Gruber group has been trying to figure out the condition of the mysterious Roadsters.
The Tesla Roadster is a bit of an elusive model these days. Given the difficulty Tesla has had getting Cybertruck production underway, these are probably the best shot anyone has at getting a new Tesla Roadster any time soon.
Can electric cars sit for 13 years and still work?
“What we do not yet know is if the ESS pack Service Plugs were pulled before shipment, and even more intriguing, if they were, is there any life left in the packs after 13 years of storage,” it says.
The coolest part about these barn finds is that they are all three unique. According to CarScoops, one of them is a base model finished in Very Orange, another is a Very Orange Sport version, and the third is a Radiant Red Sport version.
The truth is, any car sitting for this long will suffer some degradation. Rubber and plastic will stiffen and get brittle if left static for too long. That said, it is hard to think of a better storage situation than an enclosed, dry container with a car that uses no oil or gas. Still, this doesn’t mean a night on the charger will fire these silent sportscars up in the morning.
There is a chance these cars could be bricked if the battery pack had a failing cell or if it had gone flat altogether, says CarScoops. Thankfully, Gruber Motor Group is one of the world’s leading Tesla Roadster repair shops. So if anyone can work these crispy old Teslas out, it’s them.
Tesla barn finds are weird
Aside from the mysterious circumstances that got the cars packed away in shipping containers and forgotten about, it’s strange to think of a Tesla barn find. The idea is hard to make sense of. The Telsa Roadster was the company’s first car, and it was released in 2008. That just isn’t old enough to feel like a proper barn find. Be that s it may, the Roadster, especially a brand-new one, is a rare item these days. So, do these Tesla Roadsters count as a real barn find?
