A Very Special Delivery

Elon Musk pays a surprise visit to Playa Vista

By Shanee Edwards

Financial planner Devin Scott was excited to finally go pick up his customized Tesla 3. When he got a call saying that the car would instead be delivered to his Playa Vista home, he didn’t think too much of it. But when Scott saw the giant trailer pull up outside his home on July 29, he knew something was up.

“There were five or six Tesla employees,” says Scott, “and that seemed like a lot just to drop off a car.”

Scott’s deep metallic blue electric vehicle was carefully backed out of the trailer. He did an external walk-though with one of the deliverymen. Having never sat inside any Tesla vehicle, let alone his own Tesla 3, he was eager to get inside the car.

“But the guy said, ‘Why don’t we wait, because we have a surprise for you.’”

That’s when they unloaded another Model 3 from the trailer. This one was a performance version, pearl white with white interior.

“They said the white car was Elon’s configuration of the Model 3. By then, I was starting to put some pieces together, because they kept delaying.”

Scott’s wife Katie joked that maybe they were waiting for Elon Musk to arrive in a spaceship.

“The delivery guy had this nervous reaction to what she said. I looked at Katie and motioned to her that something is going to go down.”

Scott asked her to text his brother and sister-in-law who lived down the street to come over quick.

“Eventually, they told me that Elon’s going to be here in 11 minutes. It was insane. They explained they’re trying out a new delivery system, and I was essentially the first one on the list. So Elon wants to come and check everything.”

Musk finally rolled into Playa Vista in a black Model S. His two sons and his girlfriend, pop singer Grimes, came along for the ride.

Scott says Musk was pretty quiet, not terribly outgoing or gregarious.

“We were chatting for a little bit, I introduced him to my wife and my brother and sister-in-law. He never said the standard ‘thanks for being a customer, hope you enjoy your car.’ He was more interested in the delivery system, how it was going to work, but he did take some time to explain the thinking behind the delivery system.”

Always the disruptor, Musk wants all the vehicle checks done at the factory, then have them delivered directly to the customer instead of sending cars to a delivery hub. Since they’re not gasoline cars, they are not subject to current transport regulations and can be transferred in covered trailers, without the plastic covering.

Now that Scott has finally had a chance to drive his Model 3 (he’s not sure what happened to the white one), he says it’s the most fun he’s ever had on four wheels.

“I used to drive a 2009 BMW 3. It had a big engine and was a fun car to drive, but the acceleration in this car is just so seamless and instant, it’s not even close. And I have the standard version of the Tesla — it’s not the all-wheel drive or the performance model. You step on the gas half way and you’re in the back of your seat.”