Last week, we reported that one of the first production versions of Tesla's Cybertruck was set to be offered at auction this past weekend at the Petersen Museum in Los Angeles.
How high would the bidding go? Hard to predict. But now we know. The Cybertruck, yet to be built, sold for $400,000 USD. Proceeds from the sale went to the museum.
The truck not yet being in existence, it could not be present at the event; the auction was to reserve a build slot. As for who got that slot, there were no details given about the winning bidder. Nor was there any confirmation of the truck’s production schedule or when this auctioned unit might actually get delivered. Which is unusual with this kind of auction.
The fundraising event was hosted by noted car enthusiast Jay Leno, a good friend of the Petersen family.
Tickets for a table at the gala cost $1,700 USD, but the auction also accepted outside bids.
While the sale price is substantial, it falls short of sums we've seen for similar models, such as the first GMC Hummer EV, which sold at auction in March 2021 for a whopping $2.5 million USD. The SUV version of the Hummer EV sold for $500,000 USD at a similar event last January. In both cases, the serial numbers of the models offered ended in 001. It’s not clear that will be case with the Cybertruck; the only official word is that the model will be “low-VIN”, thus one of the first in the series.
The Petersen Museum in Los Angeles has always had a special relationship with Tesla. The venue recently hosted a comprehensive gathering of Tesla products, including the 2005 “Aerodynamic Buck” Roadster, the 2012 Model X prototype and the Cybertruck.
It’s estimated some two million potential buyers have reserved a Cybertruck to date. How many of that “potential” turns into “actual” remains to be seen.