Pete Gruber became a specialist in bringing Tesla Roadsters back to life with his company. That was the reason Gruber Motor Company had so many units in a building that caught fire on October 16, 2021. According to a video released by the company, over 30 EVs were destroyed by the blaze.
Gruber posted on Facebook that he has personally contacted all owners to inform them about the fire. He said his goal was to let them know before they learned about the blaze through the press.
The entrepreneur said that talking to each of the owners reminded him “how cherished these cars are, how much they meant to you, and what a special place they carve out in automotive history,” Gruber was also personally affected. Apart from the destroyed premises, he lost three vehicles he owned in the incident as well. Luckily, Gruber said that many other Roadsters survived and that their owners had been warned that their cars were safe.
According to the Gruber Motors CEO, the fire happened in the company’s “main work in process Service Center.” The enterprise has three commercial buildings and the one in which the fire occurred was completely ruined, as you can see in the video below.
An early analysis determined that an electrical panel failure could have started the fire. Gruber also said that the blaze shows “the potent nature of lithium-ion battery vehicles once they ignite.” This was not the first fire to affect the company: in May 2017, there was a similar episode.
Gruber said the cause of the fire would be investigated more thoroughly. That is not just a matter of curiosity: it will determine responsibilities and who will have to pay for the damages. Hopefully, Gruber Motors has insurance for those situations, but the insurance company will undoubtedly try to recover that money from anyone that may have failed.
As one of the Roadster owners replied to Gruber’s post, thankfully, no one was hurt, and “material things can be replaced.” It does not make it any less sad for these guys that lost a piece of automotive history. Like Gruber, we feel sorry for them.
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