Rich guy gets to drive a car built by the company he has invested in despite the fact that what the company is doing was, until very recently, said to be completely impossible.

Now, as an engineer, I of course value actually building the thing much higher than investing into getting it built, but I still would give the investors some credit for actually believing that Tesla was able to accomplish the very unlikely.

In the context of HN, this is IMHO interesting a) because it's about the engineering feat of building that car and b) about investors investing in something they actually believe in as opposed to something to make a quick buck with.

The article says nothing about the engineering technology used to construct what I agree is an impressive vehicle. And it doesn't say anything useful about how Tesla aims to get traction in the electric vehicle sector.

Instead we learn how a wealthy guy can write a cheque on impulse for a very expensive new car "...and then toss it across the table. Everyone was stunned.”.

I don't begrudge the guy his money. I'm sure he's earned it and he gets to decide how to spend it, but the fawning style of this article annoyed me.

Telsa's technology and Telsa the business are totally on-topic for HN, but this article isn't about any of those things.

It's not about the fact that the rich guy's getting it, it's about the fact that the car is now in production.

Yes, but why is this significant? Its not like this is the first time that Tesla have brought a vehicle to production. They've had cars on the market since 2008.

Nope, it's the second time they've brought a vehicle to production.

And unlike the Roadster, which was a $100K toy for rich people, the Model S is a practical $60K sedan for not-quite-as-rich people.

I worry that the market is leaving Tesla behind, though. With the Chevy Volt and Nissan Leaf on the market, not to mention the gorgeous Fisker Karma, the case for a Model S is getting weaker.

The volt and leaf are selling awfully. You might take that as a case against electric cars in general - automakers sure are! But I believe you would be mistaken, because the leaf and volt are complete eyesores inside and out. And really, when has a totally new product seen it's first success in the low end market? Low end electric cars with current tech are just not built well enough to actually use.

Indeed; I live in a fairly well-off area (Santa Barbara) and while there are more $100k+ exotic cars here than other places I live, there aren't that many. Mercedes E class and BMW 5 series though are all over the place.