Did Elon Musk really pull it off?! The new Tesla Roadster lifted off, flipped in the air, and accelerated to 100 km/h in less than a second

After nine years of waiting, Tesla finally unveiled a new Roadster and showed it like no automaker ever has. The prototype emerged at night on Friday, climbing up an arched ramp upside down. Powered by SpaceX thrusters, it lifted into the air without anyone in the cabin, rotated around its own axis, and landed back on its wheels. However, the flying version is not allowed on public roads, and production is expected to start in 2028.

Ride upside down, fly and sprint in 0,81 seconds

The premiere took place at the SpaceX test facility in McGregor, Texas, where Tesla built a huge arched ramp reminiscent of a Hot Wheels track. As Czech EV Magazín describes it, the car first turned on four electric fans under the chassis, which suck air out from beneath it and create a vacuum with downforce equivalent to up to 4,700 kg. Thanks to this, the Roadster drove up a vertical wall and stayed stuck to it upside down even while stationary.

Then, SpaceX engineers’ thrusters kicked in, blowing out cold compressed gas with a total thrust of over 80 kN. The car lifted off the ramp, performed a lateral spin in the air, and landed on asphalt in a cloud of white mist. In a timed sprint, the prototype with four rear thrusters accelerated from 0 to 60 mph (96.6 km/h) in 0.81 seconds. If you subtract the first rollout (about 30 cm), as is commonly measured in the USA, it comes out to 0.67 seconds.

The thrusters don’t burn any fuel; they only expel gas compressed to roughly 380 bar in carbon-fiber tanks arranged in empty cavities in the body. During the flight, nobody sat in the cabin, and according to reports from US magazines, the car was controlled remotely by an operator on-site at the facility.

A wedge-shaped design inspired by the SR-71 aircraft

The original rounded coupe from year 2017 was replaced by a low wedge shape with sharp edges, continuing Tesla’s design language from the Cybertruck and Cybercab. According to Tesla, it was inspired by the SR-71 Blackbird reconnaissance aircraft and the F-35 fighter jet, but commentators also quickly compared the car to the white Lotus Esprit from the 70s.

The headlights are integrated into the front, and at the rear a light strip spans the entire width. A large active wing has also been added, with adjustable electric drives originally developed for the humanoid robot Optimus. The Ano White color comes from coatings that protect rockets from UV radiation and frost, and the gold-tinted glass is meant to resemble the visors of spacesuits.

To keep the car as light as possible, Tesla uses parts made of magnesium, titanium, and carbon fiber. The cabin is upholstered in white material and a gray micro-suede, and the seats have a fixed position with no electric sliding. The driver holds a “yoke” steering wheel that is connected to the wheels only electronically (steer-by-wire), and the brakes work the same way. In front of the wheel, there are two smaller circular displays, and in the center of the dashboard there’s a horizontal touchscreen.

Elon Musk said the Roadster will remain the brand’s last long-term model that a human drives, because the rest of the lineup will gradually switch to fully autonomous driving.

Three versions, and only one can fly

After the transmission ended, Tesla revealed that the Roadster will come in three versions. The base is a two-seater Performance with active aerodynamics and suction fans, accelerating to 60 miles per hour in less than 1.6 seconds. The Thrust version adds rear thrusters for compressed gas, with which it accelerates to under 0.9 seconds. Tesla will sell it only in a limited edition—at most one unit per customer.

The most extreme is the single-seat version of the Rocket, with thrusters around the perimeter of the car, which can accelerate in less than 0.59 seconds and is the only one that can take off and rotate in midair. Instead of a passenger seat, it has pressure tanks. Tesla offers it only by invitation, and its pricing explicitly states that it has no approval for public roads. So in the morning, you won’t fly over traffic on your way to work with it.

Thrusters, fans, and pressurized tanks also shaped the range and the cabin space. In 2017, Tesla promised a 200 kWh battery, a 1,000 km range, and four seats. Now it lists, for all versions, a over 483 km range (300 miles) and just two seats—while for the Rocket version, even one.

Production in year 2028 and a deposit in millions of CZK

On stage, Musk said production will start in 2028, and, with a laugh, added “really.” Tesla has not disclosed the final price for any version, but reservations in the Czech Republic have already been adjusted. For the base Performance, you pay a deposit of 1,170,000 Kč (about €48,000): 120,000 Kč (about €4,900) is paid immediately by card, and the rest via bank transfer within ten days.

For the thrust add-on, the deposit jumps to 6 020 000 Kč (about 247 000 €), and in the USA to 250 000 dollars (about 223 000 €). Tesla notes that money for the upgrades is not refunded. So the customer puts down a quarter of a million euros for a car whose price is still unknown. It won’t start being made until two years later, and it can only be sold where the authorities approve it.

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