Sarasota mechanic helps YouTuber test Tesla's bulletproofing

When Mike Masse picks up his 6-year-old daughter, Madisyn, from school at Fruitville Elementary, it isn’t just any Tesla Cybertruck he drives.

That much is obvious, due to the large bullhorns on front and the bullet holes on one side, but its owner also happens to be famous YouTuber Danny Duncan of Englewood. 

The owner of Masse Automotive, Mike Masse has served as Duncan's creative manager and fabricator since 2020, modifying and fixing vehicles to aid in Duncan's unusual exploits such as his recent test of the claim that Tesla Cybertrucks are bulletproof. 

The results are posted to the Danny Duncan YouTube channel, which has racked up 7.56 million subscribers and 1.922 billion views.

“We come up with these dumb ideas, and we're like, what if that was real? And that's what I do. I make them real,” Masse said.

Masse has also modified vehicles to create oddities like a scooter with a Jet Ski body and a riding lawnmower elevated high above its wheels. He will also be welding the holes in the Cybertruck caused by the stronger, armor-piercing ammunition.

Around May, he will be returning the Cybertruck to Duncan. 

“We ended up becoming really good friends,” he said. “Now at this point, it's almost family.”