Tesla, the electric car company headed by billionaire Elon Musk, briefly took to selling surfboards through its online store this weekend.

The move into surfboards seems to have been a limited-edition promotional tie-up with a company called Lost Surfboards rather than a regular new revenue maker for the company.

Earlier this year, Mr Musk's tunnel construction business The Boring Company sold 20,000 flamethrowers and 50,000 hats in a bid to raise equity.

The car company said that all of its vehicles - the Model S, X and 3 - could "comfortably accommodate this surfboard on either the inside or outside of the vehicle".

Shortly after being advertised on Tesla's site, the surfboards seemed to have sold out despite being listed at $1,500 (£1,140) - a significantly premium price.


Image: Elon Musk is one of the world's richest people

The run of 200 limited edition surfboards is unlikely to contribute to Tesla's revenues.

The sale follows rumours that the company has been unable to meet customer orders.

Market analyst Rajvindra Gill has claimed that 24% of orders for the Model 3 have been cancelled by impatient buyers, which Tesla has denied.

However the difficulties facing the company have seen the chief executive announce that it was cutting 9% of its salaried staff worldwide.

Mr Musk, 47, is reportedly worth around $21bn (£16bn), making him one of the 100 wealthiest people in the world, although Tesla is yet to report a profit.

The company's shares are trading down below $300 from a high of $370 in June.