Share this article
Bitcoin Pizza, Meet Bitcoin Tesla: Someone Bought a Model S in 2013 for 91.4 BTC
The bitcoin paid to a California car dealership in 2013 would now be worth $4.1 million.
Updated Sep 14, 2021, 12:10 p.m. Published Feb 10, 2021, 7:15 p.m.
In this article
A Tesla has sold for bitcoin before, perhaps with a side of buyer’s remorse.
STORY CONTINUES BELOW
Don't miss another story.Subscribe to the Crypto Daybook Americas Newsletter today. See all newsletters
Back in 2013, Lamborghini Newport Beach sold a Tesla Model S Performance for 91.4 BTC at an exchange rate of $1,126 per coin, according to a CNN Business report at the time. The Model S retailed at the dealer for $103,000.
Elon Musk sparked a conversation on the payments role of the original cryptocurrency after his electric vehicle firm announced a $1.5 billion purchase of bitcoin earlier this week. Not only that, but Tesla has plans to accept bitcoin for purchases going forward.
Read more: Tesla Invests $1.5B in Bitcoin, Plans to Accept Crypto Payments
“That's right, an electronic currency was used to purchase a fully electric vehicle,” the dealership’s 2013 blog post reads.
However, the price of that bitcoin has appreciated 4,100% since the 2013 transaction. The digital asset broke above $43,000 to a high of $47,700 after the electric vehicle giant announced a $1.5 billion purchase in an SEC filing earlier this week.
As of press time, the value of the bitcoin used to buy the 2013 Tesla would be over $4.1 million.
The purchase was not necessarily the first of its kind concerning electric vehicles (although in terms of Tesla it seems to be). In 2013, a Toyota Prius was purchased for 1,000 BTC by one early bitcoin investor who lived off the digital currency.
Sadly, it seems Lamborghini Newport Beach did not hodl its bitcoin stash. Although more customers came forward after the news, the dealership apparently flipped the bitcoin for dollars using payment processor BitPay, CNN reported at time.
Lamborghini Newport Beach did not return questions for comment when reached by phone.
Bitcoin's recent surge has brought Laszlo Hanyecz, the man behind the infamous "Bitcoin Pizza," into the limelight this week. He told Bloomberg that he was "not too interested in Tesla" and advocated for bitcoin holders to not sell their digital currency.
More For You
What to know:
- As of October 2025, GoPlus has generated $4.7M in total revenue across its product lines. The GoPlus App is the primary revenue driver, contributing $2.5M (approx. 53%), followed by the SafeToken Protocol at $1.7M.
- GoPlus Intelligence's Token Security API averaged 717 million monthly calls year-to-date in 2025 , with a peak of nearly 1 billion calls in February 2025. Total blockchain-level requests, including transaction simulations, averaged an additional 350 million per month.
- Since its January 2025 launch , the $GPS token has registered over $5B in total spot volume and $10B in derivatives volume in 2025. Monthly spot volume peaked in March 2025 at over $1.1B , while derivatives volume peaked the same month at over $4B.
More For You
Bitcoin Treads Water Near $90K as Bitfinex Warns of 'Fragile Setup' to Shocks
BTC's relative weakness compared to stocks points to tepid spot demand, making the largest crypto vulnerable to macro volatility, Bitfinex analysts said.
What to know:
- Bitcoin erased very modest overnight gains early Monday and spent the rest of the U.S. session in a tight range around the $90,000 level.
- Rising long bond yields and a small U.S. equities pulling back weighed on risk appetite as traders eye this week's Federal Reserve meeting.
- Bitfinex analysts pointed out bitcoin's relative weakness against U.S. stocks amid modest spot demand and structural softness.
Top Stories
