Dan O’Dowd, a vocal critic of Tesla‘s Full Self-Driving (FSD) software, has made headlines recently as the buyer of three original Tesla Roadsters discovered in a shipping container at a Chinese port last year.
The three Roadsters, two in orange and one in red, are unique as they have never been titled. Originally purchased over 13 years ago and shipped to China, they were detained by Chinese authorities after the company that bought them went out of business. Each Roadster originally cost $160,000.
O’Dowd purchased the Roadsters for a combined price of $800,000, bringing the price per vehicle close to $266,667 — more expensive than what one would pay for two top-end Cybertrucks.
This purchase adds to O’Dowd’s already impressive collection of Teslas, which includes two other red Roadsters, two Model 3 sedans, and an original Model S. O’Dowd is the CEO of Green Hills Software and founder of The Dawn Project, which advocates for safer software across various applications, including in electric vehicles.
One of the most well-known aspects of The Dawn Project is their campaign advocating for a ban on Tesla’s FSD software. Earlier this month, they released two advertisements at the Super Bowl championship urging viewers to boycott Tesla due to safety concerns surrounding the FSD software.
In response to the allegations, Tesla CEO Elon Musk stated that O’Dowd “has lost his marbles.” However, a spokesperson for The Dawn Project mentioned that while O’Dowd opposes the FSD software, he does not have an issue with Tesla as a whole.
In an exclusive interview with Benzinga last year, O’Dowd explained that he uses a Roadster to commute to work, his wife uses the Model S, and The Dawn Project utilizes the two Model 3s for their experiments. The spokesperson also highlighted the special value of the three Roadsters, as they are the only Roadsters in the world that have never been titled, making them a unique and valuable investment.
Overall, O’Dowd’s purchase of the three original Tesla Roadsters adds an interesting twist to his ongoing advocacy against Tesla’s FSD software. It will be intriguing to see how this latest acquisition fits into his broader mission of promoting safer software in electric vehicles.
