- A Vietnamese man built a fully functional replica of Tesla's Cybertruck out of wood.
- Truong Van Dao's been driving his family around in the car, which is being sent to Elon Musk.
The long-awaited Tesla Cybertruck is finally due to arrive in just a few days.
But in Bac Ninh, a small town in the north of Vietnam, one man has already been driving his family around in a fully-functional wooden replica of the new Tesla vehicle.
Truong Van Dao is a woodworker and car enthusiast who created an entire collection of functional wooden vehicles in addition to the Cybertruck, including a tank, a Bugatti replica, and a child-sized Mercedes AVTR.
As an admirer of Elon Musk, he needed little encouragement from his followers to take on the Cybertruck project.
Timed to coincide with the release of the real Cybertruck, he shared a video documenting the full process, which he said took just 100 days, to his YouTube channel, ND-Woodworking Art.
After starting with a metal chassis, frame, and wheels, Dao added wooden panels, seats, and wheel trims. Finishing touches include LED blinkers and an illuminated "X" logo on one of the doors.
The wood is waterproof, Dao told Business Insider, and the whole project cost him $15,000.
He even made a functional Cyberquad that fits perfectly in the pick-up truck replica, which his young son has been riding.
After the project was completed, Dao reached out to Musk and Tesla to offer them his Cybertruck replica.
"I am a passionate content creator with a deep love for wooden vehicles and a tremendous admiration for both you and Tesla," he wrote in a post on X.
"I'm aware that Tesla has faced its share of challenges in bringing the Cybertruck to fruition. However, I maintain unwavering faith in your vision and the capabilities of Tesla," the post continued. "I hope to have the honor of gifting this wooden Cybertruck to you and Tesla."
The videos of his creation gathered momentum on social media, receiving more than 70 million views on TikTok.
"Tesla should be taking notes about the fit and finish of this thing," said one X user.
"Now - this is a smart way to introduce yourself to the most influential man in the world," pointed out another.
It seems building a wooden Tesla replica does catch Musk's attention. "Sure, much appreciated," the Tesla CEO replied to Dao's tweet, adding a little heart emoji.
Sure, much appreciated ❤️
— Elon Musk (@elonmusk) November 3, 2023
The Vietnamese woodworker described receiving that reply from the Tesla founder as "truly indescribable."
He is now communicating with Tesla to arrange for the car to be shipped to the US and has also been invited to the Tesla Cybertruck launch on Thursday by the President of the Tesla car owners club.
Dao's creations have not only gained him recognition from Tesla. After creating a wooden replica of the Audi Skysphere he was invited to meet with the company's head of design.
Tesla recently announced that only 10 Cybertrucks would be made delivered at Thursday's launch.
While the price of the real Cybertruck has not been confirmed, Business Insider's predicted that it could easily come in at about $100,000. When Musk first announced the vehicle back in 2019 he said it would start at just under $40,000.