Tesla Unveils New Roadster With Wild Flying Demo, But Delivery Still Years Away

Tesla has finally pulled the wraps off a completely redesigned second-generation Roadster, and the reveal event in McGregor, Texas was anything but conventional. Rather than a simple stage walkaround, the company put the electric supercar through maneuvers that looked more like a stunt show than an automotive launch.

The headline moment came when the Roadster drove upside down along a large ramp, held to the surface by a fan-based suction system that Tesla says can generate up to 2G of downforce. From there, the car launched off the ramp and completed a mid-air barrel roll before landing upright, using cold gas thrusters to control its attitude. Tesla later showed the car leaping over a row of its own vehicles while performing another roll. CEO Elon Musk tempered the spectacle beforehand, admitting success was not assured.

According to details shared with Top Gear, the thruster setup uses ten nozzles and roughly 200 liters of compressed gas, and refilling the system could take anywhere from two to six hours, with engineers hoping to eventually cut that to around thirty minutes. The performance claims are equally extreme: Tesla says it has recorded 0-60 mph runs as quick as 0.81 seconds, and top speed has reached beyond 230 mph, with Musk eyeing a long-term target near half the speed of sound. Not all of this will be road-legal, and Tesla’s own order page notes that the full ten-thruster configuration will not be street legal.

Buyers will face a tiered lineup. The Performance trim includes the suction fan system, the Thrust version is needed for the sub-second acceleration and will be produced in limited numbers, and the range-topping Rocket trim with all ten thrusters is invite-only. The top model delivers up to 1,341 horsepower, while the base car’s two motors make up to 1,073 hp. All versions are rear-wheel drive with a motor per wheel for torque vectoring. Claimed range sits at 310 to 320 miles, a steep drop from the 620 miles originally promised. Tesla also says the car supports 500 kW fast charging, enabling a 10-80% top-up in about ten minutes. Reservations require a refundable $50,000 deposit.

The real question is timing. Musk says the Roadster will arrive in 2028, but this nameplate has already missed repeated deadlines since its 2017 concept debut, and Tesla has offered few specifics on pricing, homologation, or final specifications. The engineering on display is undeniably striking, yet the gap between a thrilling demonstration and a car in customers’ driveways remains as wide as ever.