Elon Muscovite! Russians convert Lada into their very own Tesla Cybertruck!

You don’t need Elon Musk’s billions to get your own Cybertruck project off the ground – just a measly budget of $1,200 will do the trick - as proved by a group of Russian YouTubers!

Pushka Garazh have converted a Lada Samara into the spitting image (if you squint) of the truck that everyone is talking about at a cost of just 80,000 rubles - and their knock-off vehicle has been spotted driving on several roads in Khimki, western Moscow. It is trending on social media - and giving enthusiasts plenty to laugh about.

In the video, their replica is shown driving along busy roads, tearing through a rain-sodden parking lot – and promptly losing one of its fake Tesla hubcaps!

The Samara, a Russian-made hatchback, was converted into the retro-looking EV pickup by using sheet metal, paint and a lot of imagination – but unlike the actual Tesla EV, their version – which has retained the original drivetrain - is not electric, it runs on petrol. Also, it’s around six feet shorter than the actual Cybertruck what with it standing at just over 19 feet in length, but the Lada around 13 feet long.

Credit where it’s due, it does resemble Musk’s latest heavy-duty model which was released last month and the actual model could yet change. There are lots of questions about whether the real truck will retain those angular aesthetics when it is released, which according to Musk, will be in late 2021.

It will also be interesting to see if Tesla can sell it for a starting price of $39,900 for the base trim - but if that is still too much of an outlay, then worry not for you might be interested to know that Pushka Garazh are selling their version for just $10,800! You could buy a Lada for every day of the week for that...