The New Tesla Roadster Can Fly, Drive Upside Down, and Still Probably Arrive in 2028. Maybe.
Nine years after the first Roadster concept, Tesla finally rolled the second one out at SpaceX’s Texas test site last week and immediately made it do the most unnecessary things possible. It clung to an inverted ramp with suction fans, flipped itself over a lineup of other Teslas, and landed using cold-gas thrusters. Elon Musk called it “the best of the last of the human-driven cars” and promised production in 2028. “Actually.”
There are three versions. The Performance is the “road ready” two-seater with active aero and the sucker fans. The Thrust adds rear thrusters for sub-second 0-60 claims. The Rocket is a single-seater with thrusters all over it and is invite-only. Reservations start at $50,000 for the base and $250,000 for the thruster one. Range is listed at over 300 miles. Top speed is over 230 mph, which Musk immediately said wasn’t enough and that they should crack half the speed of sound. The original 2017 promises of 620 miles, four seats, and a 2020 delivery have been quietly memory-holed.
The flying part is pure theater and also the most honest thing Tesla has done in years. The car that can do a barrel roll is not going to replace the Model Y in your driveway. It’s a $200k-plus toy that requires specialized thruster hardware, regulatory clearance that doesn’t exist yet, and the same production timeline optimism that got us the original Roadster delay. We already knew how this would go the moment they put rocket nozzles on a car and then asked for half a million dollars in deposits before naming a final price. You can still reserve one.
While everyone was watching the Roadster do gymnastics, Porsche quietly showed the Mission S concept in New York the same week: a mid-engine sports car meant to sit permanently above the 911. It looks like a modern 959/GT1 mashup, has an analog-heavy cabin with a real tachometer and no permanent center screen, and will be combustion or hybrid only. Porsche’s CEO said there’s no demand for an EV in that segment. It’s the opposite energy of the flying Tesla. Meanwhile, at the Paris show, BYD’s Atto 8 seven-seat SUV claimed 10-to-97% charging in nine minutes on their own Flash network (which mostly doesn’t exist anywhere). One car is trying to leave the ground. One is trying to stay interesting without a battery. The other just wants you to spend less time at the charger. All three are upcoming. Only one of them made the internet lose its mind by doing a backflip.Nine years after the first Roadster concept, Tesla finally rolled the second one out at SpaceX’s Texas test site last week and immediately made it do the most unnecessary things possible. It clung to an inverted ramp with suction fans, flipped itself over a lineup of other Teslas, and landed using cold-gas thrusters. Elon Musk called it “the best of the last of the human-driven cars” and promised production in 2028. “Actually.”
There are three versions. The Performance is the “road ready” two-seater with active aero and the sucker fans. The Thrust adds rear thrusters for sub-second 0-60 claims. The Rocket is a single-seater with thrusters all over it and is invite-only. Reservations start at $50,000 for the base and $250,000 for the thruster one. Range is listed at over 300 miles. Top speed is over 230 mph, which Musk immediately said wasn’t enough and that they should crack half the speed of sound. The original 2017 promises of 620 miles, four seats, and a 2020 delivery have been quietly memory-holed.
The flying part is pure theater and also the most honest thing Tesla has done in years. The car that can do a barrel roll is not going to replace the Model Y in your driveway. It’s a $200k-plus toy that requires specialized thruster hardware, regulatory clearance that doesn’t exist yet, and the same production timeline optimism that got us the original Roadster delay. We already knew how this would go the moment they put rocket nozzles on a car and then asked for half a million dollars in deposits before naming a final price. You can still reserve one.
While everyone was watching the Roadster do gymnastics, Porsche quietly showed the Mission S concept in New York the same week: a mid-engine sports car meant to sit permanently above the 911. It looks like a modern 959/GT1 mashup, has an analog-heavy cabin with a real tachometer and no permanent center screen, and will be combustion or hybrid only. Porsche’s CEO said there’s no demand for an EV in that segment. It’s the opposite energy of the flying Tesla. Meanwhile, at the Paris show, BYD’s Atto 8 seven-seat SUV claimed 10-to-97% charging in nine minutes on their own Flash network (which mostly doesn’t exist anywhere). One car is trying to leave the ground. One is trying to stay interesting without a battery. The other just wants you to spend less time at the charger. All three are upcoming. Only one of them made the internet lose its mind by doing a backflip.
Verdict: NOPE
Early hype check only. The demo is fun theater, but the product is still vapor with a 2028 maybe, missing the original promises, and mostly useful as a flex. Skip the deposit unless you specifically collect delayed Tesla concepts.