In the town of Bac Ninh, located in northern Vietnam, a man named Truong Van Dao has already been cruising around with his family in a fully operational wooden replica of the upcoming Tesla Cybertruck, well ahead of its official release in a few days.
Truong Van Dao, a skilled woodworker and avid car enthusiast, has an impressive collection of functional wooden vehicles, including not only the Cybertruck replica but also a tank, a Bugatti replica, and a miniature Mercedes AVTR designed for children. Driven by his admiration for Elon Musk, he embraced the Cybertruck project, encouraged by his followers.
To coincide with the launch of the actual Cybertruck, Truong Van Dao shared a video detailing the entire 100-day process of crafting the wooden replica on his YouTube channel, ND-Woodworking Art.
Commencing with a metal chassis, frame, and wheels, Dao incorporated wooden panels, seats, and wheel trims to construct the Cybertruck replica. The finishing touches encompass LED blinkers and an illuminated “X” logo adorning one of the doors. According to Dao, the waterproof wood used in the project incurred a total cost of $15,000.
In a delightful addition, Dao crafted a functional Cyberquad that seamlessly fits into the pick-up truck replica, providing his young son with an enjoyable ride.
Upon completing the project, Dao extended an invitation to Elon Musk and Tesla, expressing his offer to share his meticulously crafted Cybertruck replica.
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. 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.