It’s not uncommon to see a Ferrari, Porsche, or a Lamborghini parked outside of a rival’s headquarters or testing grounds.
Automakers buying the competition, taking them apart and conducting benchmark testing is a very common practice in the automotive industry, though many brands do take measures to prevent their precious work from being copied, bootlegged and plagiarized for another lowly brand’s “inferior” technology.
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One car that benefitted from this practice was the legendary Nissan Skyline GT-R, a Japanese market sports car that has often been compared to more expensive European rivals from the likes of Porsche. During its development in the late 1980s, Nissan bought a Porsche 959 through a third party to use for benchmark testing and to examine its all-wheel-drive system to use in the Skyline GT-R. The resulting car became a household name beyond Japan through its racing wins and appearances in video games and movies like “The Fast and The Furious.”
Despite its issues regarding bodywork and tires, the Tesla Cybertruck (TSLA) seems to be the latest EV benchmark, as a few manufacturers seem have gotten their hands on it.
In a post on X (formerly known as Twitter), Tesla talking head Sawyer Merritt revealed that Ford has got a Cybertruck of their own and paid a hefty price to do so.
Worth it
— Elon Musk (@elonmusk) March 1, 2024
“Ford just paid $250k for a Cybertruck in the aftermarket and is testing it at its proving grounds near Detroit,” Merritt said in his post on X.
Elon Musk, who seems to be very fond of Ford examining his creation, replied “Worth it.”
Ford is not the only automaker to have seemingly purchased a Cybertruck for themselves. On Feb. 28, a post on the Cybertruck Owner’s Club Forum revealed that a Cybertruck Foundation Series sold for a hammer price of $244,000 at the Manheim Wholesale Auction in Dallas to a Porsche dealer in Orlando.
Though it is not confirmed that the Porsche dealer is acting on behalf of the boffins at Stuttgart, Elon Musk remains unfazed nonetheless. In response to a question asking about the transaction and the alleged manufacturer connection, Musk doubled down on the merit of his technology.
Did they?
I have a lot of respect for Porsche engineering, although they have some ways to go with electric to match their combustion skills.
When they take it apart, they will discover a lot of new technology.
— Elon Musk (@elonmusk) February 29, 2024
“I have a lot of respect for Porsche engineering, although they have some ways to go with electric to match their combustion skills,” Musk said. “When they take it apart, they will discover a lot of new technology.”
Knowing that the Cybertruck is a “high demand” car, Tesla wrote a “no-resale clause” in the sales contract of the Cybertruck to prevent potential scalping.
“You agree that in the event you breach this provision, or Tesla has reasonable belief that you are about to breach this provision, Tesla may seek injunctive relief to prevent the transfer of title of the Vehicle or demand liquidated damages from you in the amount of $50,000 or the value received as consideration for the sale or transfer, whichever is greater. Tesla may also refuse to sell you any future vehicles,” read the agreement.
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Though it is written in the agreement, it is unknown if Tesla will pursue legal action against the original owners of the Cybertrucks. Though paying compensation to Tesla may not sound like the worst thing in the world for those flipping their trucks for profit, the possibility of ending up on Tesla’s “blacklist” might be the nightmare they can hang over potential scalper’s heads.
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