The easiest and most popular form of car modification is altering the exterior finish. While most people stick to covering their cars with vinyl wraps to go for the more expensive option of custom paint jobs, but car enthusiasts take things to the next level in the name of exclusivity. Over the years, we’ve seen everything from gold-plated exotics to cars covered in Swarovski crystals. A few years back, a well-known car collector went a step ahead and ordered his Aston Martin Valkyrie hypercar with a special paint with actual moondust. But this Tesla Model X we stumbled upon on Reddit is probably the weirdest of them all. Spotted in Utah, the electric SUV’s entire bodywork is completely covered in nickels.
Unfortunately, all we have is a single picture of the Model X covered in coins, which was posted on Reddit by user Pacexmaker. Thousands of shiny nickels glued to the exterior make the SUV look like one of those bewildering sculptures one expects to see at artsy exhibitions. I’m sure the question that must have popped into your mind is how much weight has been added by sticking so many coins to the exterior. Thankfully, another Reddit user who goes by the name Machidalgo did the math for us. The user says the Model X needs around 63 square feet of vinyl wrap to cover the entire bodywork, which translates to around 14,112-14,238 nickels. That’s a lot of coins!
According to his calculations, the coins and the glue required to secure them on the bodywork should weigh approximately 160-165 pounds. That’s equivalent to a standard Model X carrying an additional passenger. The Reddit user also went on to estimate the effect of the additional weight on the EV’s range. According to EPA estimates, the added weight of its unique coin-covered exterior may amount to a decrease of 1.6-3.3% or 5.6-11.5 miles in driving range for a Tesla Model X Long Range. However, this does not account for the reduction in range potential caused by the altered drag coefficient. As far as the cost goes, the nickels glued to the body alone would be equivalent to around $710. However, sticking coins to the bodywork sounds like a labor-intensive job that might cost a considerable amount of money. Irrespective of the price, the owner successfully managed to turn the mundane EV into an attention magnate. At least, it has gone viral on Reddit.
