We all know that during SEMA, you expect wild builds and cool innovations. But seeing a Tesla Monster Truck? That’s a different story. OutRun host Jerome Andre stumbled upon this Baja-ready Model 3 and immediately recognized the brilliance of combining electric torque with serious off-road capability. He shared his enthusiasm with the builder, AJ, telling him, “I love my Teslas. I love my Land Rovers. I love my 4x4s. And you made my ideal vehicle.” While it has the stance of a monster truck, AJ clarified that underneath, it is set up with the geometry and structure of a high-speed prerunner.
A Practical Inspiration
AJ, whose family has worked in off-road racing since 1968, needed a capable vehicle for his wife to drive out in the desert. He explained the origin of the project to Jerome, noting, “It was my wife’s car. We built it for her to go off-roading to follow me around my trophy truck.” They see electric vehicles as the future of racing, perfect for areas restricted by noise or emissions, so they decided to convert her daily commuter into a dirt-eating machine.
Building A Platform Under A Platform
The genius of the build lies in how little they actually changed the core Tesla architecture. AJ described their approach to engineering the Tesla Monster Truck as building a platform under the platform, utilizing the Tesla’s battery chassis as the foundation. They simply removed the factory suspension and bolted a custom Chromoly chassis to the original mounting points. To handle the rough terrain, they added massive King IBP coil-overs. Despite the aggressive exterior, AJ managed to retain key stock components.
Desert Testing
Amazingly, AJ and his team hammered out this prototype in just under a month, working nights and weekends. Now, the focus is on finding the breaking points in the desert. They are heading to Glamis to push the car over moguls and jump to see what fails first, likely the CV joints. If the prototype holds up, AJ plans to offer similar upgrades to the public for around $35,000. They are even already planning a race-ready Cybertruck for the 2026 Mint 400 in partnership with Unplugged Performance.
The Electric Baja Bug
The soul of this project draws direct inspiration from AJ’s father, who was a pioneer in building original VW Baja Bugs. Just as mechanics gave second lives to crashed Beetles decades ago, AJ sees the same potential for abundant Model 3s. This build proves that with the right engineering, an electric commuter car can be transformed into a silent off-road weapon without actually removing the interior of the original vehicle.
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