vfx

Well I guess it would since it seems to be parked in the middle of the lot!

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The world loves to be deceived.

dpeilow

Doug, I wonder how you find these pictures without any tags or descriptions to go on.

Chris H.

Martin,

still no license plate? Is that OK in California? Didn't TM give you enough notice of the delivery to allow you to pick up new plates on Friday?

All the best,

Chris H.

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Don't forget about the real world...

Martin

The way it works here in California is that I have to wait for my normal license plates to arrive - Tesla applies for them on the day I receive the car. Once they arrive, I get to go stand in line at the DMV to hand them back and transfer my custom plates to my Tesla. This will be the subject of an upcoming blog topic at my site in a week or so.

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Martin Eberhard
Tesla Motors Founder

Laurent

Congratulations, Martin, and thank you for bringing the Roadster into the world in the first place.

Would you mind telling us what was involved with your custom paint job (design, cost, etc) ? I might consider doing stripes (white on blue) if the cost is not prohibitive.

Bradleybang

ChrisH,
The only time you get to drive a vehicle without plates in CA is when the car is new from the dealership. It requires a copy of the new registration posted in the front window. See picture and notice the white paper taped just above windshield wiper. I'd bet Martin will not put on plate until required. I had heard 90 days... but this is what I found from:

http://www.dmv.ca.gov/pubs/reg_hdbk_pdf/ch02.pdf

"Purchaser’s Temporary Identification Copy (bottom portion of the original)—For customer privacy, fold the purchaser’s copy so that only the preprinted number and vehicle descriptive information shows and display it in the lower rear window. If the information will be obscured, place it in the lower right corner of the windshield or on the lower right side of a side window. For trailers, display in the same manner in the towing vehicle. This authorizes operation of the vehicle until the buyer receives the license plates and registration card."

Further reading I caught this...

2.035Alternative Fuel Vehicles (AFV) (R&TC §10759.5)
A reduced vehicle license fee (VLF) based on a modified sales price is assessed on new, light duty (up to 8,500 pounds gross vehicle weight), alternative fuel vehicles. The California Energy Commission (CEC) defines AFVs and provides dealers with the instructions for calculating the modified VLF. The law requires dealers to:
•Determine the reduced VLF by deducting the amount credited to the AFV.
2.035Alternative Fuel Vehicles (AFV) (R&TC §10759.5), continued
•State the actual incremental cost in the sales or lease contract for the buyer.
•Report the incremental cost to the CEC on a quarterly basis.
Registration Requirements—The registration requirements are:
•Complete the Application for Registration of New Vehicle (REG 397) as usual, except show the modified cost of the vehicle in the Certificate of Cost section.
•Submit a Statement of Facts (REG 256) with the REG 397 showing:
—The fee breakdown for the cost of a comparable conventional (gas or diesel) vehicle and the incremental cost of an AFV.
—The actual incremental cost of an AFV. (The incremental cost is the difference between the AFV and the most comparable conventional vehicle. The cost difference is deducted for calculation of the VLF.)
—How the final cost was determined.
•Enter the modified sales price on the REG 397 and note “S/F attached.” (The REG 397 will not be revised for this purpose.)
•Determine the VLF due by deducting the amount credited to the AFV.
•Collect the reduced VLF from the buyer.
NOTE: Retain a copy of the REG 256 with the dealer’s copy of the REG 397.
NOTE: Sales tax is assessed on the actual full selling price.


I hope Martin gets some discount on his registration. If I read above corrrect it could be the difference between the Tesla roadster and a comparable conventional (Elise?).


Another BIG CONGRATS to Martin!

Martin

The last time I was in the UK, I asked Barney Hatt for suggestions for a custom paint job for my car. (It had become apparent that a clear coat-over-carbon fiber was impossible, and I still wanted something unique.) I asked Barney for a few suggestions that would push me outside my tame fashion sense

In his free time, Barney sent me some photoshopped Tesla pictures as ideas. I liked several, especially those with the double stripes - they reminded me of the Ford GT40. I especially liked the one that he intended to be orange-on-silver. But because of the way my computer screen rendered his colors, I though he intended grey, so I proposed the Aviator Gray, the same color as my old TT was. Though an accidental choice, Barney liked the idea a lot.

We went back and forth with details of the stripes, and Barney added the thin dark-grey highlights next to the orange. He had the paint shop shoot several proposed details on some discarded hardtops, and we zeroed in on this particular setup.

I proposed the orange seat panels, and he was at first worried that they would be too garish. But he liked it, again after trying it out in photoshop, because they do indeed look like extensions of the stripes.

Barney agreed to come down to the paintshop personally to mask out the stripes - they have a slight taper to them to match the contours of the car. Sweet job.

The company charged me (above the price I paid for the car) for an amount that they say was their cost of the paint job - it was not at all inexpensive!

So the long answer is that mine was a pretty special case.

I know that Tesla quoted custom colors for other customers, so if you talk to Dorreen or Zak or someone over there, they might be able to give you a quote for design and paint.

Good luck. I have seen a few comments on the web from people who hate my paint job, but I think the car looks GREAT with stripes.

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Martin Eberhard
Tesla Motors Founder

WarpedOne

To be honest, when I first read about the color of your car I found it odd. Later some photoshop mockups showed up (even I tried one:) and I didn't liked them. The shades somehow looked and felt wrong and strange.

But then came the last Friday and that pic from Flickr. I was stunned. I recon photos really cannot do the car whole justice.

It is a very special car in so many ways. The most special Tesla :)

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vfx

Hi Martin,

Could you show us a picture of the whole house with the car in the garage?

Also, a picture of the type of alarm system you decided on (include a shot of the lojack location or where the car alarm is hooked up)

Lastly a picture of your where you keep your keys in the house (hook or bowl?)

Thank you and we look forward to hearing about your next out-of-country speaking engagement!

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The world loves to be deceived.

GSP

Martin said: "I have seen a few comments on the web from people who hate my paint job"

There will always be some people like this. As Richard Feynman's (famous physicist) first wife would say - "What Do You Care What Other People Think?!"

I can recommend the book:
Amazon.com: What Do You Care What Other People Think?: Further Adventures of a Curious Character: Richard Phillips Feynman, Ralph Leighton, Richard P. Feynman: Books

I think your paint job looks great!

GSP