Tesla has unveiled its new Roadster, a two-seat electric supercar with a wedge-shaped design and clean, flat surfaces. The car features scissor doors and a rear wing that deploys to increase downforce at speed.
The new Roadster has a minimalist silhouette, similar to a Lamborghini Diablo or Lotus Esprit. Tesla used titanium as a material and designed the windows to mimic the copper coating on spacesuit visors.
The car’s downforce is enhanced by powerful ground effect fans that suck it onto the road. At the unveil event, Tesla performed a stunt where a Roadster climbed a ramp, stopped vertically, and continued onward while upside down.
Tesla is offering three versions of the Roadster: a Performance model, and two more versions called Thrust and Rocket. The Thrust model features four cold gas ‘thrusters’ that allow it to achieve a sub-one-second 0-60mph time.
The Rocket spec adds more gas thrusters around the car. The unveil showed the car using these thrusters to lift itself off the ground, do barrel rolls and more, according to Tesla’s promo stunt. Elon Musk said, ‘This will be an actual car that is on the road,’ though he noted that it may not be legal in all jurisdictions.
Inside, the Roadster has a yoke-like steering wheel and steer-by-wire tech, similar to the Cybertruck. The car is exclusively a two-seater, with microsuede upholstery. The Rocket version with extra thrusters is not road-legal.
Customers can reserve a Roadster with a £5000 deposit, followed by an additional £45k payment 10 days later. The final price has not been announced, but it is expected to be high given the initial payments.