Tesla Model S, Bare-Aluminum Finish

Made by Tesla, Inc.c. 2016California, United States

A first-generation Tesla Model S stripped of all factory paint down to bare brushed aluminum, used by the collector as daily transportation and photographed by the Los Angeles Times in 2024. The unpainted bodywork gives the production electric sedan the appearance of a raw engineering prototype — an apt artifact for the decade when electric drivetrains displaced a century of combustion-engine convention.

Provenance

c. 2016

Delivered new by Tesla, Inc. (approximate; delivery year not publicly confirmed)

attributed

2024

Reported in daily use, stripped of all paint to bare aluminum (Los Angeles Times)

documented

2026

Digitally preserved in Relic

confirmed

Current Custodian

Palmer Luckey

Orange County, California

Request Research Access

Access Matrix

Digital viewingpublic
Additional photographsby request
Remote video inspectionavailable
Research visitowner approval
Temporary research loancase by_case
Museum exhibition loanavailable
Scientific samplingnot permitted
Commercial licensingcontact owner

Record Metadata

CategoryIndustrial Design

MaterialsAluminum body and chassis (paint stripped to bare metal), lithium-ion battery pack, dual electric motors

Dimensions4.98 × 1.96 × 1.44 m

Weight2,108 kg

ConditionOperational; daily driven

Digital Record

22 high-res images (8,192 × 6,144)

3D Mesh / Photogrammetry

Precise digital measurements

Doc. Score: 78/100Scanned 9/16/2026

Cite this object

Relic Archive. (c. 2016). Tesla Model S, Bare-Aluminum Finish [Object record]. Relic Object RL-2016-003318.