Elon Musk reveals Tesla’s ‘sexy’ new short shorts

The electric car company co-founded by Elon Musk has started selling red satin short shorts, and that’s just the set-up to the joke.

Tesla has started selling a pair of red satin short shorts celebrating its company and laughing in the face of its doubters.

Elon Musk, co-founder of the electric car company which recently became the most valuable carmaker in the world (based primarily on future potential of electric vehicles), announced the new item, as he often does, through a post on Twitter.

Tesla will make fabulous short shorts in radiant red satin with gold trim

— Elon Musk (@elonmusk) July 2, 2020

“Tesla will make fabulous short shorts in radiant red satin with gold trim,” Musk tweeted on Friday.

You could be forgiven for thinking it was an attempt at humour from the tech maverick, but now the item has appeared on the Tesla online shop.

The shorts are likely to still be intended as a joke, featuring several subtle digs and references to Tesla vehicles, and veiled shots at critics.

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The "S3XY" branding is a reference to some of Tesla's vehicles.

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The most obvious joke is the price.

Tesla is selling the shorts for $69.42.

We’ll let you figure out the first part of the joke but to the right of the decimal is a reference to the cannabis culture symbol “420”.

Musk has frequently joked about the fact he was born 69 days after 4/20 (April 20th, if you use America’s weird month/day format).

For those interested: Musk was born June 28, 1971, which is indeed 69 days after April 20th.

While he likes to make this joke, Musk has claimed he does not actually partake all that much in cannabis consumption (partially backed up by the fact he still calls it “pot”).

Other winking references in Tesla’s new garment is the “S3XY” lettering on the rear.

This is a reference to some of Tesla’s cars: the Model S, Model 3, Model X and Model Y.

But perhaps the best joke of all (or at least the most high concept) is the choice to sell the shorts in the first place.

The shorts feature an elegant Tesla logo and a slightly less elegant "S3XY" number plate.

In recent years, some investors have been “short-selling” Tesla stock, expecting it to crash.

It hasn’t, in fact it has shot through the roof.

Tesla has now decided to become a “short seller” itself, and will probably make more money selling a few satin shorts than any of the short-sellers who thought its stock price would crash are going to.

Musk also said he planned to send a pair to the “Shortsellers Enrichment Commission”, a shot at the US Securities and Exchange Commission.

His dissatisfaction with the SEC comes from what appears to be a broad opinion that private companies (especially his own) should be able to do whatever they want without the government getting in their business, and a more specific feud Musk and the SEC had in 2018.

The SEC investigated after Musk tweeted to say he would take Tesla private at $420 a share.

Am considering taking Tesla private at $420. Funding secured.

— Elon Musk (@elonmusk) August 7, 2018

It’s unlikely this was ever true, but the SEC still had a case for market manipulation as the price Musk listed was around $50 higher than the shares were valued at on the day of the tweet.

While under investigation over the $420 share price tweet, Musk went on the Joe Rogan Experience podcast and smoked some legal California kush in the studio.

Musk and Tesla were fined $US20 million each and he had to step down as chairman of the company.

Musk followed up his short shorts tweet with another shot at the SEC.

SEC, three letter acronym, middle word is Elon’s

— Elon Musk (@elonmusk) July 2, 2020

It’s believed the initialism Musk alludes to is something along the lines of “Stop/Short Elon’s Companies”.

If you really want to you can order the new Tesla shorts via the company’s website.

What do you think of Tesla’s latest product reveal? Have your say in the comments below.