LÄCHERLICH MODE

In 2004, Elon Musk—his pockets full of PayPal profits—walked into the offices of AC Propulsion in the L.A. suburb of San Dimas with some questions. Among them was whether they’d convert his Porsche 911 Turbo into an electric car. He was willing to pay a pretty penny (reportedly $250,000) for it. But Alan Cocconi, AC’s live-wire founder, said sorry, no thanks. So Tom Gage, Cocconi’s (likely bewildered) business partner, referred Musk to a promising EV startup they both knew of.

And that, kids, is (approximately) where the Tesla saga began. Would Tesla exist today if Elon had simply gotten his damn electric 911 from Cocconi?

Now Elon can finally drive an electric Porsche Turbo S, and at a billionaire’s-bargain price of