Billionaire buys 3 untitled Tesla roadsters discovered in a ‘long-forgotten shipping container’

  • Billionaire Dan O’Dowd has been publicly critical of Tesla’s self-driving features
  • However, he snapped up three untitled Tesla Roadsters found in a shipping container
  • Here’s why he did it

Published on Jun 05, 2024 at 2:18 PM (UTC+4)
by Amelia Jean Hershman-Jones

Last updated on Jun 05, 2024 at 9:18 PM (UTC+4)
Edited by Kate Bain

A billionaire who has famously spoken out against Tesla’s self-driving technology has snapped up three untitled Tesla Roadsters that were found hidden away in a shipping container.

With two orange and one red model, they’re thought to have been sitting there for 13 years.

He described the three examples of the rarest Tesla EV as ‘fast, beautiful and nimble’.

READ MORE! Elon Musk says Tesla Roadster won’t really be a car and will have two wild features

Dan O’Dowd buys three ‘long-forgotten’ untitled Tesla Roadsters

Dan O’Dowd, founder of The Dawn Project, spoke to GB News about his confusing purchase.

The lost Tesla Roadsters were discovered in a ‘long-forgotten shipping container’ in a Chinese port.

Developed in Tesla’s infancy, only 2,450 of the sporty Roadster were sold worldwide for $160,000.

It’s thought that the vehicles are the only Roadsters in existence that have remained untitled – making them uber-desirable to car collectors and enthusiasts alike.

Originally purchased by a research and development team of an undisclosed Chinese automaker, they were destined to be dismantled ahead of a reverse engineering mission.

Why were the untitled Tesla Roadsters left for so long?

When the Chinese carmaker went bankrupt, the vehicles were seized by authorities.

Instead of being sold on or simply destroyed, they were left sitting in the port for 13 years – until recently.

When O’Dowd heard the news he seized the opportunity to get his rich mitts on the rare EVs for $800,000.

The move is somewhat confusing considering O’Dowd’s ongoing feud with Elon Musk and criticism of his proprietary self-driving technology.

He fears that flaws in the emerging technology could lead to dangerous driving incidents.

“I learned about the Roadsters from Medlock & Sons, where I send the two Roadsters I purchased in 2010 for service,” he told the news outlet.

“I love my Roadsters and have driven nothing else for thirteen years. They’re fast, beautiful and nimble.”

He continued: “With the roof off and the volume cranked up, they are pure joy to drive, so much so that I deliberately choose a longer commute.”

O’Dowd’s plans for the Roadsters are, as yet, unconfirmed.

He has floated ideas of displaying them or loaning his shipping container loot to a museum.

Who is Dan O’Dowd?

With five Tesla Roadsters, two Model 3s, and an original Model S, the billionaire now owns a total of eight Teslas.

The software developer, who has a history working on projects including Boeing’s 787s, Lockheed Martin’s F-35 Fighter Jets, the Boeing B1-B Intercontinental Nuclear Bomber, and NASA’s Orion Crew Exploration Vehicle,

But bizarrely he also invested in a huge million-dollar campaign since 2021 regarding his safety fears surrounding the ‘dangerous’ full self-driving technology of Tesla.

In fact, the Dawn Project aired two adverts during Super Bowl LVIII, calling for a public boycott of Tesla.

SB Media has approached Tesla for a comment on The Dawn Project’s claims.

The adverts involved footage of a Full Self-Driving Tesla appearing to dangerously ignore the rules of the road.

Tesla plans to drop an updated Tesla Roadster in 2025.

Tesla CEO, Elon Musk, as ever, has made some bold claims.

For example, it will be capable of accelerating from 0-60 in less than a second.

Also chairman of SpaceX, the billionaire previously hinted that the vehicle could be powered by the American spacecraft manufacturer’s rockets and could even be capable of flight.

Musk claims drivers of the next-gen Roadster would love it ‘more than their house’.

DISCOVER SBX CARS: The global premium car auction platform powered by Supercar Blondie

user

London-based Amelia cut her journalistic teeth covering all things lifestyle, wellness and luxury in the UK capital. Fast-forward a decade and the experienced content creator and editor has put pen to paper for glossy magazines, busy newsrooms and coveted brands. When her OOO is on you can find her spending quality time with her young family, in the gym or exploring the city she loves.