{"id":8796,"date":"2026-10-16T03:05:06","date_gmt":"2026-10-16T03:05:06","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/silvybrand.com\/?p=8796"},"modified":"2026-10-16T03:05:06","modified_gmt":"2026-10-16T03:05:06","slug":"tesla-roadster-next-gen-reveal-elon-musk","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/silvybrand.com\/?p=8796","title":{"rendered":"The Tesla Roadster flew, drove upside down, and hit 60mph in under a second"},"content":{"rendered":"


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Elon Musk promised a flying car. And the Tesla Roadster did exactly that.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

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Tesla demonstrated its next-generation Roadster at an event in Waco, Texas, where the electric supercar drove upside down, briefly flew, and accelerated to 60mph in under a second. It was an impressive demonstration of a car that likely will come with some heavy caveats and restrictions if it ever goes into production.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

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The event was less than 30 minutes and felt more like a stunt show than a product reveal. Indeed, there was no mention of price, trim levels, release date, or other such mundane details. Musk promised the hypercar would go into production in 2028, but after nearly nine years who\u2019s counting. The people were here to see a car fly, and that\u2019s what Tesla gave them.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

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First, the Roadster drove up a very tall, multi-story ramp, using its incredible downforce to cling to the vertical roadway. When it reached the top of the ramp, it flipped around using its cold-gas thrusters to bring it gently back down to earth. The car uses a fan-based suction system, supplied by SpaceX and mounted underneath the vehicle, which is capable of generating up to two Gs of suction force.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

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Next, the Roadster flew over the rest of Tesla\u2019s lineup, including the Model 3, Model Y, Cybertruck, Semi, and Cybercab \u2014 doing what Tesla VP for Engineering Lars Moravy called \u201ca kick flip\u201d in the process. Musk explained that it features attitude-control thrusters as well as main thrusters at the rear, giving the Roadster rocket-like capabilities.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

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\u201cSo it can basically fly like a rocket,\u201d Musk said. \u201cAnd it could do rolls. It could do, like, crazy gymnastics. Whatever you want, really. Now, I should say that this is not necessarily a safety-optimized car. But it takes the fun meter to 11 out of 10.\u201d<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

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The Roadster two ultra-high pressure air tanks with a combined volume of 600 liters, containing approximately 250 kilograms of air, and uses 10 nozzles to execute its maneuvers. The Roadster can even recharge its own tank, without requiring a specialized chemical propellant. The stored compressed air supplies the thrust needed to lift the car and perform the demonstrated maneuvers.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

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Of course, it seems extremely unlikely that this version of the car will ever be available to the average consumer \u2014 even as Musk claimed \u201cThis will be an actual car that\u2019s on the roads.\u201d The company would have to satisfy strict regulatory requirements from the Federal Aviation Administration, as well as the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration. The Roadster could <\/em>go into production in 2028, as Musk promised \u2014 or it could be another decade of missed deadlines and broken promises. Again, who cares? Car flew.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

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As for the Roadster itself, Musk called it \u201cthe last best driver\u2019s car.\u201d Moravy said that Tesla drew inspiration from aerospace designs such as the SR-71 reconnaissance aircraft<\/a>. It\u2019s a two-seater, with seats molded directly into the chassis. Its steering and driving controls use steer-by-wire technology, including a steer-by-wire yoke, brakes, and throttle. The rear of the car features the thrusters and fans housed around the diffuser area. And it has a retractable rear wing for added downforce.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

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Tesla has also said that the Roadster can accelerate from 0-60mph in less than a second. And during the event, the company claimed it did so in 0.81 seconds. Musk explained that increasing the applied force while reducing the vehicle\u2019s mass help boost acceleration. In fact, Musk says the production Roadster should improve on the demonstrated result, although he acknowledged the extreme forces involved and the need to avoid subjecting occupants to extreme acceleration.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

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\u201cYou\u2019ve got to crack halfway to the speed of sound, I think,\u201d Musk teased. \u201cMach 0.5. Maybe a little higher.\u201d<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

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The next-gen Roadster certainly took the scenic route in getting here. A prototype version was announced as a \u201cone more thing\u201d style surprise during the 2017 Tesla Semi event<\/a>. The specs sounded ludicrous even back then: 0-60 mph in 1.9 seconds, a top speed over 250 mph, a 200 kWh battery delivering up to 620 miles of range, and a $200,000 starting price tag. Musk said deliveries would start in 2020, which sounded perfectly doable at the time.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

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Early adopters quickly threw down $50,000 deposits (or $250,000 for the limited Founders Series), effectively interest-free loans to help fund Tesla\u2019s scaling ambitions. But then Tesla seemed to forget about the Roadster, as cementing its status as the ultimate vaporware<\/a>. Production deadlines slipped as Tesla prioritized mass-market vehicles like the Model Y, while also wrestling with the overly complicated Cybertruck. Occasionally, when Musk would remember that the Roadster existed, he would up the ante about its capabilities. This culminated in the \u201cSpaceX package\u201d that would equip the supercar with cold-gas thrusters, bestowing hover powers and a 0-60 time under one second.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

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Musk has also sought to downplay the Roadster\u2019s significance, calling it a \u201csmall potato situation\u201d that will not \u201cmove the needle in a major way financially.\u201d He\u2019s framed the supercar more as a joint engineering collaboration between Tesla and SpaceX, even questioning whether it\u2019s \u201ceven a car anymore\u201d given its experimental nature. Some analysts theorize that the decision to re-release the Roadster is an attempt to set the stage for a rumored Tesla-SpaceX merger<\/a>.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

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Tesla\u2019s failure to bring the Roadster to market allowed other automakers to slip past the company with their own hyper-powered EVs. Rimac has smashed performance records with the Nevera, Porsche has refined electric performance with the Taycan, and Chinese giants like BYD are producing track-ready supercars at a fraction of the cost. The Roadster is no longer shocking the world as an impossible prototype; it\u2019s playing catch-up to an industry that spent nine years building what Tesla merely rendered.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

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But then again, none of those cars flew.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

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