LOS ANGELES — It is an understood truth that important R&D departments and their engineers remain important by learning all they can from the successes and mistakes of their competitors. The latest proof of that is the purchase of a Tesla Roadster by Porsche's scientists in Weissach, Germany.

A Tesla spokesperson told Inside Line, "A Porsche senior engineer actually came over a few weeks back, and he was seriously analyzing the car in every detail." The spokesperson said that Porsche will have to wait a little while to get a Tesla, as the automaker is "pretty far down on the list of current orders."

Separately, a German source has told Inside Line that Porsche is none too pleased with the recently tested eRuf , created by tuner Ruf and California expert Calmotors using a 997 911 Carrera chassis and body packed with lithium-ion units. No one is detailing exactly why Porsche is unhappy with the car — which Inside Line tested and will report on soon — but Porsche is known to be working on its own lithium-ion-powered prototype.

Tesla has revealed that the full first run of 250 planned European roadsters for 2009 will come loaded to the max with top-line leather, a premium audio package, painted carbon fiber and other expected high-end touches, all standard in the €99,000 base price ($124,000).

What this means to you: We suspect this is a case of Porsche engineers simply being upset over the "not invented here" aspect. They'll get over it and build the best lithium-ion racer ever. — Matt Davis, Correspondent

tuner Ruf