The Tesla Roadster flew, rolled upside down and hit 60 mph in less than a second

Elon Musk promised a flying car. And that’s exactly what the Tesla Roadster does.

Tesla showed off its next-generation Roadster at an event in Waco, Texas, where the electric supercar drove upside down, flew briefly and accelerated to 60 mph in less than a second. It was an impressive demonstration of a car that will likely be subject to heavy caveats and restrictions if it ever enters production.

The event was less than 30 minutes long and felt more like a stunt show than a product reveal. Indeed, there was no mention of price, trim levels, release date, or other mundane details. Musk promised the hypercar would go into production in 2028, but after nearly nine years, who’s counting? People were there to see a car fly, and that’s what Tesla gave them.

First, the Roadster climbed 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 turned around using its cold gas thrusters to gently bring it back to earth. The car uses a fan-based vacuum system, supplied by SpaceX and mounted under the vehicle, capable of generating up to two Gs of suction force.

Then the Roadster flew past the rest of Tesla’s lineup, including the Model 3, Model Y, Cybertruck, Semi, and Cybercab — doing what Tesla VP of Engineering Lars Moravy called “a kick” in the process. Musk explained that it has attitude control thrusters as well as main thrusters at the rear, giving the Roadster rocket-like capabilities.

“So it can fly like a rocket,” Musk said. “And it could do barrel rolls. It could do crazy gymnastics. Anything you want, really. Now, I have to say, this isn’t necessarily a safety-optimized car. But it takes the fun meter to 11 out of 10.”

Moravy then described the Roadster as having two tanks with a combined volume of 600 liters, holding approximately 250 kilograms of air, and uses 10 nozzles to perform its maneuvers. The Roadster can even recharge its own tank, meaning it doesn’t require a specialist chemical propellant. Stored compressed air provides the thrust needed to lift the car and perform the maneuvers demonstrated.

Of course, it seems extremely unlikely that this version of the car will ever be available to the average consumer. The company would have to meet regulatory requirements from the Federal Aviation Administration, as well as the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration. The Roadster could will go into production in 2028, as Musk has promised – or it could be another decade of missed deadlines and broken promises. Again, who cares? The car flew.

As for the Roadster itself, Musk called it “the last best driver’s car.” Moravy said Tesla took inspiration from aerospace designs such as the SR-71 reconnaissance aircraft and transformable vehicles. It is a two-seater, with seats molded directly into the chassis. Its steering and ride controls use electric steering technology, including an electric steering yoke, brakes and throttle. The rear of the car features thrusters and fans housed around the diffuser area. And it has a retractable rear wing for increased downforce.

Tesla also said the Roadster can accelerate from 0 to 60 mph in less than a second. And at the event, the company claimed to have done it in 0.81 seconds. Musk explained that increasing the force applied while reducing the mass of the vehicle helps boost acceleration. In fact, Musk says the production Roadster should improve on the demonstrated result, although he acknowledges the extreme forces involved and the need to avoid subjecting occupants to intolerable acceleration.

“You have to crack halfway to the speed of sound, I think,” Musk teased. “Mach 0.5. Maybe a little higher.”

The next-generation Roadster certainly took the scenic route to get here. A prototype version was announced as a “one more thing”-style surprise at the 2017 Tesla Semi event. The specs seemed ridiculous even at the time: 0-60 mph in 1.9 seconds, a top speed over 150 mph, a 200 kWh battery offering up to 400 miles of range, and a starting price of $200,000. Musk said deliveries would begin in 2020, which seemed perfectly feasible at the time.

Early adopters quickly put down deposits of $50,000 (or $250,000 for the limited Founders Series), interest-free loans to help fund Tesla’s growth ambitions. But then Tesla seemed to forget about the Roadster, cementing its status as the ultimate vaporware. Production timelines slipped as Tesla prioritized mainstream vehicles like the Model Y, while struggling with the overly complicated Cybertruck. Sometimes, when Musk remembered that the Roadster existed, he upped the ante on its capabilities. This resulted in the “SpaceX package” that would equip the supercar with cold gas thrusters, granting hovering powers and a 0-60 time of less than a second.

Musk also sought to downplay the Roadster, calling it a “small potato situation” that won’t “move things in a major way financially.” He presented the supercar more as a joint engineering collaboration between Tesla and SpaceX, even questioning whether it is “even a car” given its experimental nature. Some analysts speculate that the decision to re-release the Roadster is an attempt to set the stage for a rumored Tesla-SpaceX merger.

Tesla’s failure to market the Roadster allowed other automakers to overtake the company with their own hyper-powerful electric vehicles. Rimac broke performance records with the Nevera, Porsche refined electric performance with the Taycan, and Chinese giants like BYD produce track-ready supercars at a fraction of the cost. The Roadster no longer shocks the world as an impossible prototype; it’s making up for an industry that spent nine years building what Tesla simply delivered.