Watch Top Gear's first drive of the 845bhp Tesla Cybertruck here

“It’ll never see the light of day…” So says the perplexed gentleman standing next to what we have just explained is the production version of a pickup with first deliveries at the end of the month.

But here it is, the new Tesla Cybertruck – less a vehicle, more an A-list celebrity, hounded wherever it goes. But you know about the hype already. What you don’t know is what it’s like to drive. What it’s like to pilot a three-tonne, 5.7-metre, 845bhp spaceship around the roads of Los Angeles.

TG’s Jack Rix has all the answers – as well as an in-depth Q&A with the Cybertruck’s design and engineering bosses on the tortuous development story.

Clear your schedule: here’s 40 minutes on everything that matters.