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The Tesla Roadster reveal is underway. After a two-week weather delay, we’re about to learn exactly what Tesla has in store for the second-generation of its sports car at sister company SpaceX’s rocket test facility in McGregor, Texas.
We’re not learning much about the Roadster’s practical capabilities, but we’re certainly seeing some party tricks. The reveal started off with the roadster climbing a ramp which eventually left it inverted. Elon Musk said this was enabled by an active aero fan system (sound familiar?) that was actually sucking the car “up” into the surface.
Yes, juvenile jokes ensued, but apparently it sucks hard enough that the Roadster can pull more than 2.0 lateral Gs in cornering. Musk also confirmed that the Roadster will remain human-driven—and will be the only Tesla to do so going forward.
To top that, Tesla demonstrated the Roadster’s “attitude control thrusters” by having the car flip itself back to the ground. Spectacle? Check.
Images from Tesla’s live Roadster 2 reveal.
Tesla says the thrusters are powered by compressed air, meaning the car can replenish its thrust capacity on-the-go. There’s no actual fuel. The thrusters are integrated into the rear diffuser, and they can also be used to boost the car’s forward acceleration. Tesla demonstrated it with a live 0-60 test in a claimed 0.81 seconds (under 1.0 second, as promised).
And while it’s called “Roadster,” it’s actually a coupe. It has genuine billionaire doors, two seats, and a deployable spoiler—perfect for all your peacocking needs.
Tesla says it will have some follow-on feature demonstrations to show off the Roadster’s capabilities, including a fresh attempt at Evel Knievel’s Snake River Canyon Jump attempt. This isn’t the first time Knievel’s jump has inspired somebody to do something spectacular. The results haven’t always been ideal.
Tesla says the Roadster 2 will arrive in 2028. Sure, why not?
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Byron is an editor at The Drive with a keen eye for infrastructure, sales and regulatory stories.
