At a SpaceX test facility in Texas, Tesla unveiled a second-generation Roadster that blurs the boundary between automobile and aircraft — a machine capable of sub-second acceleration and controlled flight using compressed-air thrusters borrowed from rocket science. The demonstration, more than a decade after the car was first promised, signals Tesla's intent to deliver something genuinely unprecedented: a vehicle that can jump, corner at two Gs, and theoretically approach half the speed of sound. Elon Musk framed it as the last car Tesla will build for drivers who still wish to drive — a farew
Tesla unveils flying Roadster with 0.81-second acceleration, production set for 2028
The last best driver's car, and the first that can fly.
Mark
So Tesla actually demonstrated this thing flying? That's not a render or a concept video?
Mimi
Right. They did live jumps at the SpaceX facility in Texas. The Roadster used compressed-air thrusters to launch itself over parked cars and land on a ramp. It's real hardware, not a simulation.
Luke
But did it actually fly, or did it jump? There's a difference. The source says it jumped using thrusters—that's ballistic, not sustained flight.
Mimi
Fair point. It's more accurate to call it jumping or launching. The thrusters give it enough lift to clear obstacles, but it's not hovering or flying in the traditional sense.
Mark
And the 0.81-second acceleration—that's from one demonstration run, correct?
Luke
Yes. One timed run during the event. That's a single data point, not an average or a guaranteed spec. We should be careful about treating that as the final word.
Mimi
Absolutely. It's a claimed time from a controlled demonstration. Real-world performance could vary, and we won't know until production cars are tested independently.
Mark
Why is the fan system that important? Musk talked about driving upside down, but that seems impractical.
Mimi
The downforce is the real benefit. The fan can generate up to 2 Gs of downforce, which means the car sticks to the road incredibly hard during cornering. That's the practical advantage—grip and handling, not the upside-down stunt.
Luke
And that technology comes from a 1978 Formula 1 car, which Brabham withdrew after one race. So it's proven in concept but not exactly battle-tested in production vehicles.
Mark
When will people actually be able to buy one?
Mimi
2028, according to Tesla. That's over a decade after the concept was first shown in 2017.
Luke
And we should note that's a production target, not a guarantee. Tesla has missed timelines before. Also, Australians can't buy one—it's left-hand drive only.
The Pulse
- A car leapt over a row of parked Teslas and landed cleanly, making the flying capability impossible to dismiss as marketing fiction.
- With 0.81-second 0-60mph acceleration and thruster-generated downforce that could theoretically allow upside-down driving, the engineering claims are extraordinary enough to invite deep skepticism.
- Three variants — Performance, Thrust, and Rocket — create a tiered offering ranging from $50,000 to $250,000 in reservations, but no final pricing has been confirmed and production remains four years away.
- Legal uncertainty around flying vehicles and the absence of right-hand drive options leaves markets like Australia in a holding pattern, watching from the outside.
- After a decade of delays since the 2017 reveal, the 2028 production target carries the weight of a company that has repeatedly asked its most devoted customers to wait just a little longer.
At a SpaceX test facility in Texas, Tesla unveiled a second-generation Roadster that blurs the boundary between automobile and aircraft — a machine capable of sub-second acceleration and controlled flight using compressed-air thrusters borrowed from rocket science. The demonstration, more than a decade after the car was first promised, signals Tesla's intent to deliver something genuinely unprecedented: a vehicle that can jump, corner at two Gs, and theoretically approach half the speed of sound. Elon Musk framed it as the last car Tesla will build for drivers who still wish to drive — a farewell gift to the age of human hands on the wheel.
Tesla demonstrated its second-generation Roadster at a SpaceX test facility in McGregor, Texas, and the event was unlike any conventional car launch. The headline figure — 0 to 60 miles per hour in 0.81 seconds — already surpassed the 1.9-second promise Elon Musk made when he first revealed the concept in 2017. A top speed of 230 miles per hour is the stated target, though Musk floated the theoretical possibility of approaching Mach 0.5, or roughly 383 miles per hour.
What distinguished the demonstration was the flying. Using compressed-air thrusters derived from SpaceX technology capable of generating over 80 kilonewtons of thrust, the Roadster drove up a ramp, launched into the air, and cleared a line of parked Teslas before landing under control. Beneath the car, a fan system creates downforce by drawing the vehicle toward the ground — a principle last seen in Jack Brabham's 1978 Formula 1 car — theoretically generating enough suction to allow the car to drive inverted. A retractable rear wing manages aerodynamics dynamically, and the car corners at up to 2 Gs.
Three variants are planned: the Performance model includes the fan system, the Thrust adds compressed-air thrusters, and the Rocket — shown at the event — delivers the full flying experience. Seats are molded into the chassis to save weight, and both steering and braking are managed electronically through steer-by-wire and brake-by-wire systems. Reservations are open in the United States, with deposits ranging from $50,000 for the Performance to $250,000 for the Thrust variant, though final pricing has not been announced.
Production is targeted for 2028, more than eleven years after the original reveal. Australian buyers face an additional complication: Tesla has confirmed the Roadster will be left-hand drive only, restricting local access to grey imports. Musk acknowledged that the car's flying systems may not be legal in all jurisdictions. He described the Roadster as the last manually driven car Tesla intends to build — a deliberate preservation of the driver's experience before the company moves fully into autonomy. Designer Franz von Holzhausen put it plainly: the goal was to make both the world's best flying car and the last great driver's car.
Tesla rolled out its second-generation Roadster at a live demonstration in McGregor, Texas, and this time the company is serious about building it. The event, held at a SpaceX test facility, showcased a vehicle that accelerates from 0 to 60 miles per hour in 0.81 seconds—a figure that emerged from a timed run during the livestreamed presentation. That's a significant jump from the original promise made in 2017, when Elon Musk first revealed the concept and claimed a 1.9-second sprint time. The new target is a top speed of 230 miles per hour, though Musk suggested the car could theoretically approach Mach 0.5, or roughly 383 miles per hour—halfway to the speed of sound.
What set this demonstration apart was not just the acceleration numbers but the flying stunts. The Roadster used compressed-air thrusters derived from SpaceX technology to launch itself into the air, jumping over a line of parked Teslas and executing controlled landings after driving up a ramp. The thrusters can generate more than 80 kilonewtons of thrust. The car also features a fan system mounted underneath that creates downforce by sucking the vehicle toward the ground—technology borrowed from the principle Jack Brabham's Formula 1 car used in 1978. Tesla's vice president of vehicle engineering, Lars Moravy, explained that this suction system can pull up to two Gs, theoretically allowing the car to drive upside down. The active aerodynamics include a rear wing that extends and retracts based on downforce requirements.
Tesla is offering three variants. The Performance model includes the fan downforce system. The Thrust variant adds the compressed-air thrusters. The Rocket model, which was demonstrated at the event, showcases the full flying capability. Musk framed the flying feature not as a gimmick but as a practical advantage for track driving and cornering. The extreme downforce means the car can corner at 2 Gs and stick to the road with unusual grip, he said. Inside, the Roadster uses seats molded directly into the chassis to reduce weight, and it operates with steer-by-wire and brake-by-wire systems, meaning driver inputs are transmitted electronically rather than through mechanical linkages.
Production is scheduled for 2028—more than a decade after the concept was first shown. That timeline reflects the complexity of bringing a vehicle with this level of experimental technology to market. Pricing has not been officially announced, but Tesla is accepting reservations in the United States. The Performance variant requires a $5,000 deposit followed by $45,000 within ten days, totaling $50,000. The Thrust model asks for $5,000 initially and $245,000 within ten days, bringing the total reservation to $250,000. In 2017, Tesla had announced a starting price of $200,000 with a Founders Series at $250,000, so the current reservation structure suggests pricing in a similar range, though final figures remain undisclosed.
An Australian launch has not been confirmed. Tesla's local website now states the Roadster will be available only as a left-hand drive vehicle, which effectively limits access for Australian buyers to imported models. Musk acknowledged that the car's legality remains uncertain in some jurisdictions, particularly given its flying capability and the systems required to enable it. He positioned the Roadster as the last manually driven car Tesla will produce, a deliberate choice to preserve the driving experience even as the company moves toward autonomous vehicles. Tesla designer Franz von Holzhausen summed up the ambition at the event: the Roadster is intended to be both the world's best flying car and the last best driver's car.
Notable Quotes
This will be the last manually driven car that Tesla makes, and it will be the world's best flying car.— Elon Musk, Tesla CEO
The downforce means the car can corner incredibly well, like you're breaking physics because the car sticks to the ground so hard.— Elon Musk, on the practical benefits of the fan system
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