For years, owners of luxury cars like Lamborghinis and Bentleys have chosen gold as a finish for their exclusive vehicles. As such, it was only a matter of time before Tesla’s Cybertruck received its own 24-karat gold-plated version.
However, in this case, the owner ended up paying more for the gold painting than for the Cybertruck itself.
Not Worth Its Weight in Gold
The distinctive polyhedral shape of the Tesla Cybertruck served as the perfect canvas for an experiment by YouTuber Zack Nelson from JerryRigEverything. The challenge was to coat the Cybertruck’s original stainless-steel body with 24-karat gold plating.
Wallet manufacturer Ridge sponsored the transformation. The company provided the Tesla truck and invested $60,000 in gold to cover all its metal surfaces. Nelson took on the extensive craftsmanship required to complete the project.
Turning the electric pickup into a golden work of art isn’t simple. Nelson used electroplating, a technique that employs electricity to bond gold ions onto the vehicle’s metal surface.
According to Nelson, the process involved disassembling the plastic parts and body trim, as well as polishing the metal to eliminate any traces of rust. He finally applied the 99.7% pure gold coating. “This is an extremely expensive video for Ridge Wallets, but an extremely educational for us,” Nelson said in the YouTube video, with more than 1.4 million views.
A Bargain at a Charity Auction
After overcoming the challenge of transforming the Cybertruck into a massive rolling gold bar, it was time to recoup the investment.
Six months later, the golden Cybertruck was auctioned on Cars & Bids. However, the outcome surprised many. After 22 bids, the vehicle sold for just $102,000.
The auction proceeds were donated to the Not A Wheelchair charity, with which Nelson and his wife are involved. However, that wasn’t enough to attract higher bids. The final price fell short of the regular dealership price for the Tesla truck.
The winning bid barely covered the $60,000 cost of the gold plating, leaving the true value of the truck at just $42,000. Interestingly, this amount isn’t enough to purchase a Tesla Model 3 or Model Y.
This whole “fiasco” adds to the already eventful history of the Cybertruck.
Image | JerryRigEverything
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