Bids for 3 Tesla Roadsters top $1 million as more details on their origin emerge

roadster find
Credit: Gruber Motor Company

The three Tesla Roadsters that were found abandoned in shipping containers in China have drawn a lot of interest from Tesla enthusiasts and car collectors. The auction has been extended as Gruber Motor Company has received several bids above $1 million for the three electric vehicles (EVs), and more details about the vehicle’s origins have been uncovered.

We first reported on the trio of Roadsters, one Radiant Red two Very Orange Roadsters, earlier this month when the auction first launched. Not much was known about the EVs other than that they were in pristine condition with no mileage on them, with the assumption being they were abandoned and never accepted by the buyer once they landed in China. As time has gone on it has been discovered that there were actually 4 Roadsters in the shipment, and all were destined for a Chinese automotive company that was likely going to have their research and development team disassemble and reverse engineer them.

Fortunately that never happened and while the fourth Roadster has not been located, the other three will live on in someone’s car collection, or maybe even make their way to a museum.

The auction was supposed to end on May 28, but due to the level of interest and the time it was taking to vet the bidders, the auction has been extended to June 2. As of writing the highest official bid for all three Roadsters as a package is $800,000, but Peter Gruber told Fox News there are several bids over $1 million that are still being vetted.

As for the Roadsters themselves, they are being moved to new shipping containers over the next few days where they will be shipped to Dubai, where they can be more easily viewed, or to the successful bidder.

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Founder and Editor-in-chief of Drive Tesla Canada | Darryn@DriveTeslaCanada.ca Have a Tesla tip? Email tips@driveteslacanada.ca, or DM us on Twitter @DriveTeslaca