Tulsa unveils giant statue of Elon Musk to try and lure Tesla to the area

The city in Oklahoma – and Austin in neighbouring Texas – are on shortlist for new Tesla HQ

The stalwart gaze of a 75-foot-tall Elon Musk surveys the lands surrounding Tulsa, Oklahoma's Tulsa Expo Center, his arm resting atop a blackened oil derrick. An enormous, red Tesla logo covers his torso, and his luminous white belt buckle bears the name of the electric car company.

No, Mr Musk's recent renouncing of material possessions did not result in his ascension to a concrete and plaster godhood. The dystopian structure is actually a repainted statue from the 1960's meant to court the Tesla CEO into opening a new manufacturing facility in Tulsa.

The statue - originally built in 1966 and currently the sixth tallest statue in the US - is called the "Golden Driller." Before Mr Musk's face was painted over the statue's existing visage and the "Tesla" iconography was added, the statue was intended to be a tribute to the state's petroleum industry.

The publicity stunt was carried out by the Tesla Owners of Oklahoma and supported by the city's mayor, GT Bynum.

The Tesla Owners of Oklahoma are part of a broader club of nationwide Tesla owners who describe themselves as a "community of owners and enthusiasts committed to evangelizing Tesla's mission to accelerate the world's transition to sustainable energy. Club members can help advocate for the company by supporting legislative efforts, offering test drives, volunteering at shows, assisting prospective owners, hosting social events and passionately referring friends and family to explore Tesla ownership for themselves."

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Mr Musk's company is currently searching for a location to house its second automotive manufacturing plant in the US. The plant will produce the Model Y utility vehicle as well as the Gibson-esque Cybertruck. According to the company, Tulsa and Austin are both on its short list.

While Mr Musk has yet to comment on the rendering of the statue in his image, Mr Bynum said he hopes that amending the statue continues to deliver the message that Tulsa is the right home for Tesla.

"I think this is about convincing people that Tulsa is the best fit for Tesla, I really do believe that," he told Tulsa World.

Cities performing tricks for CEOs searching for expansion locations have increased in recent years, becoming the modern altar sacrifice, except rather than burning a slaughtered lamb, they're painting the face of a South African-born billionaire on a sixty-year-old statue.

Maya Kosoff collected a list of desperate stunts cities have pulled in a piece for Vanity Fair. Among them are New York City turning every light in the city orange to try to woo Jeff Bezos into opening Amazon HQ2 in New York; the mayor of Frisco, Texas offering to literally plan the expansion of the city around the needs of the Amazon facility; and - in a true offering of worship and fealty - the town of Stonecrest near Atlanta offered to rename itself 'Amazon' and make Mr Bezos its permanent mayor.