Tesla revealed the new Roadster on October 15, 2026, at a SpaceX test site in McGregor, Texas. The car drove upside down, jumped a row of Tesla vehicles, and ran 0 to 60 mph in a claimed 0.81 seconds. Tesla says production starts in 2028, nearly nine years after the second-generation prototype debuted. The specs came the next day. In a video with Top Gear, vehicle engineering chief Lars Moravy and design chief Franz von Holzhausen said the top versions make over 1,341 hp and over 1,032 lb-ft, InsideEVs reported. The base car makes over 1,073 hp. Every version is rear-wheel drive, the lightest weighs about 3,700 pounds, and the two put real-world range at about 310 to 320 miles. "This one, we're going to build," Moravy said.
There are three versions. Tesla's site calls the Performance "road ready with seating for two." The limited-release Thrust adds rear cold-gas thrusters for the sub-one-second launch. The invite-only Rocket seats one, can fly, and carries a note that it is not approved for public road use. Tesla CEO Elon Musk told the crowd, "I'm not necessarily sure it's legal in all jurisdictions."
The boost is short. Moravy told Top Gear one fill gives about five to six seconds of thrust, and refilling the Thrust's 200-liter tank from a high-pressure nitrogen supply takes two to six hours today, InsideEVs reported. Tesla wants that under 30 minutes. Musk said on stage that the car can refill its own air tank, and InsideEVs noted Tesla hasn't explained how that fits with the nitrogen setup.
The name is a stretch too. The roof is fixed, InsideEVs reported. The upper glass panels in the butterfly doors lift out, which makes the car a T-top like the 1968 Chevrolet Corvette Stingray. The 2017 car promised a removable glass roof that stored in the trunk, plus seating for four.
It also looks nothing like the 2017 concept. Motor1 calls the new shape an angular wedge with a Cybertruck-esque look, and Tesla cites the SR-71 Blackbird and F-35 fighter jet as inspiration. Musk said the Roadster will be Tesla's last car built for a human driver: "This will actually be long term the only manually driven car that Tesla makes."
Why buyers have doubts
The 2017 promises were bigger. Tesla's Roadster page from December 2017 listed 0 to 60 mph in 1.9 seconds, over 250 mph, 620 miles of range, and a $200,000 base price. A reservation cost $50,000, or $250,000 for one of 1,000 Founders Series cars. CNN reported in 2022 that the car was supposed to go into production in 2020.
The new range figure is about half of that 620 miles. Pricing was not mentioned at the event, Road & Track reported. Tesla's reservation page now asks for $5,000 up front and $45,000 within 10 days, fully refundable. Hagerty says earlier reporting points to a price above $200,000.
The reservation agreement adds a catch. It says Tesla "cannot guarantee when your vehicle will actually be delivered or if it will be delivered," InsideEVs reported. It also calls any quoted price an estimate.
The demo left questions of its own. Hagerty noted that the Roadster that flew and hit 60 mph did it with nobody inside.
Tesla's other 2017 and 2019 reveals ran late as well. The Semi was announced in November 2017 with production said to begin in 2019, and first deliveries to Pepsi were set for December 2022, CNN reported. The Cybertruck was unveiled in 2019 with production promised for 2021. The first dozen or so reached buyers on November 30, 2023, two years behind the original schedule, the Associated Press reported. CNN put it plainly in 2022: "Production delays are common at Tesla."
Put the 2017 concept and the 2026 car side by side and rate them on WhipJury.
Sources:
The reveal, location, and 0.81-second run: The Drive
The nine-year wait and the last manually driven car: Motor1 and Motor1
Horsepower, torque, weight, drive layout, and range: InsideEVs
Versions, road-use note, and reservation payments: Tesla and Tesla
Street legality and the Musk quote: InsideEVs
Thruster duration and refill times: InsideEVs
The fixed roof and T-top panels: InsideEVs
The design change and inspiration: Motor1
The 2017 specs, price, reservations, roof, and seating: Tesla, archived December 2017
Pricing at the event: Road & Track
Price reporting and the empty car: Hagerty
The delivery guarantee: InsideEVs
The 2020 Roadster target and Semi timeline: CNN via ABC7
The Cybertruck timeline: Associated Press via NBC Bay Area
Photos: Tesla; 2017 concept via Wikimedia Commons: Smnt (CC BY-SA 4.0)
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Jeffrey Wiley has spent more time than he'd like to admit thinking about what makes a car look right. He writes about automotive design, car culture, and the opinions people have strong feelings about. He lives in north Georgia.
