One of St. Louis' First Tesla Cybertrucks Is an Attention Getter

Chris LaBarge caused a minor commotion on the Hill Monday when he pulled up in front of the Digregorio’s Market in his new Tesla Cybertruck. Say what you will about Elon Musk's car company, but there was no shortage of passersby coming up to LaBarge to admire the stainless steel, futuristic-looking electric pickup and ask him questions about it. 

The Cybertruck weighs about 7,000 pounds and can go from zero to 60 mph in three seconds. It won a drag race against one Porsche while towing another. Nationwide, demand has way outstripped supply, and the vehicle has been slow to make its way to St. Louis. This perhaps explains the interest in LaBarge’s ride. He said it was his understanding he's one of about six Cybertruck owners in the St. Louis area. [Editor's note: And it sounds like all six will be affected by the newly announced recall due to problems with the accelerator pedal. Tesla will be replacing or repairing them in all the Cybertrucks it manufactured between November and April. Sorry, Chris LaBarge!]

LaBarge was with his brother, Sweeney, and they had just picked up takeout from Milo's when we asked him if his new set of wheels lived up to the hype. 

This interview has been edited for brevity, clarity and to include maximum brotherly ribbing.

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RYAN KRULL

Chris LaBarge, right, and brother Sweeney LaBarge.

I know there's been a big back order for these trucks. When did you originally order yours?

November 22 of 2019.

Has it met expectations?

The vehicle has beat all expectations. It's everything I thought it was. It's wicked fast. It's very quick.

Is this your first Tesla?

My first. 

What made you want the Cybertruck?

At this point, Sweeney LaBarge jumps in: “I can tell you the real reason is his cool factor since he was in high school has been dropping. He's trying to get back to high school senior year!”

[laughing] That's right. I peaked in high school. 

Now you're one of only six folks in the whole region with the Cybertruck.

Sweeney LaBarge says, “Friends keep calling him and saying, ‘Chris, are you on Highway 40? Are you in the Schnucks parking lot?’”

I don't know if this is fit to print, but I heard you say something funny about how this hasn't quite lived up to expectations in the chick magnet department?

I told my wife, "This is like a chick magnet." And she says to me, "Until you roll your window down and they look and say, 'Jesus Christ, my grandfather's driving this thing!'"

That's great.

That's my wife keeping me on that even keel.

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