... I thought Martin Eberhard and Marc Tarpenning were the original founders of Tesla. Musk just bought a controlling share of the company, forced them out, and took credit for their work. I wouldn't trust Musk's word if he told me the sky was blue. He's a lying, thieving psychopath.

The only vehicle they were involved in substantially was the original Roadster, which was based on the Lotus Elise. Lotus did much of the design work other than the powertrain, and supplied partially assembled vehicles. A total of 2500 were built and sold worldwide from 2008-2012.

... the Lotus Elite that I was familiar with back in the 60s was a sweet ride. A friend who was a factory-trained mechanic turbocharged one. He taped a C-note to the dashboard on the passenger's side and told riders that if the could reach it while he was accelerating down the causeway in Marblehead, they could keep it. That Benjamin stayed where it was for as long as I can remember!