$400,000 For A Cybertruck Build Slot Is Not The Sale Of A Cybertruck

The Tesla Cybertruck during a tour of the Elkhorn Battery Energy Storage System in Moss Landing, California, U.S., on Monday, June 6, 2022. PG&E and Tesla Inc. have built the 182.5-megawatt battery energy storage project at the utilitys Moss Landing substation near Monterey Bay. Photo: Nic Coury/Bloomberg (Getty Images)

A low-VIN Tesla Cybertruck build slot reportedly sold for $400,000 at an auction benefiting the Petersen Automotive Museum in Los Angeles over the weekend. This has curiously been reported as the first “sale” of a Cybertruck which, as you can see, it is not.

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It’s more of the promise of a promise for an early production truck, but let’s be clear; a direct exchange of money for a physical vehicle did not happen here. It’s also not clear whether the slot was donated by Tesla itself, or just some schmo who put his name on the deposit list way back when. The story was first reported by InsideEVs, which reported that what the winning bidder would receive is a low-VIN slot, not the vehicle itself. The museum declined to verify the sale price of the Cybertruck build slot, due to fundraising policies. The museum did raise over $2.5 million over the course of the evening, however, a rep told InsideEVs.

The winner would likely get to take early delivery of the truck ahead of the rest of the estimated two million folks on the waiting list, but with no announcements regarding final specs or crash test results, who knows when that will be. Tesla has already blown past its self-imposed deadlines for bringing the bulky truck to market. Cybertrucks have been built and spotted testing, but the results are, so far, a tad depressing.

Jay Leno hosted the Petersen’s 29th annual gala meant to raise money for the museum. It was a swanky affair, with tickets costing $1,750 and a whole table setting attendees back $17,500, according to Car And Driver. The real VIPs dropped $30,000 for a premier table. So these are folks who can afford to pay $400,000 for the idea of a car, especially if it benefits this beloved museum.