Those of us pushing 40 haven't been alive long enough to witness a new American car become the envy of the world. We're seasoned enough to think that clutch pedals are mandatory equipment and touch screens are distractions, old enough to have seen car companies and friends born to fanfare and die early. And we've been burned countless times for believing America would deliver a new car that would turn the world on its head.

We rooted for the home team, but we gave our allegiances (and down payments) to the Germans and the Japanese, wondering if the American car companies could ever make a truly amazing car. Not just a good car-America makes plenty of very good cars today, thankfully-but a true game changer, a machine so breathtaking that the whole world must stop and sigh "wow."

It has happened. For the first time since automobiles had fins, the world stands in awe of a car from the United States. We're proud to announce that Americans have crafted an automobile so advanced that no one else could have built it. It's electric, but it departs sufficiently from the poor-mouthed apologia and self-righteous marketing of previous electric cars to almost seem an epiphany. It's unique, it's from Silicon Valley, and it's called the Tesla Model S.
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