Three motors
One motor at the front and two at the rear, which allows torque vectoring between the rear wheels. The layout is similar to the Model S Plaid.
Nine years
to the start line.
Tesla showed the new Roadster in November 2017 and promised it for 2020. After at least eight missed dates, the production version finally gets its reveal on October 1, 2026. This page collects what has been claimed, what has changed and what nobody knows yet.
Production reveal
Waco, TX
--Days
--Hours
--Min
--Sec
Oct 1, 2026 · 8:30 p.m. ET · Invitation-only event for reservation holders
01 / Claimed figures
The numbers that started it.
These are the targets Tesla announced at the 2017 unveiling. The car has been redesigned since then, so treat them as a promise and wait for the production spec sheet.
1.9sec
0–60 mph, base car
250+mph
Top speed
620mi
Range per charge
10kNm
Wheel torque
4.2sec
0–100 mph
8.8sec
Quarter mile
200kWh
Battery pack
3motors
All-wheel drive
All figures are manufacturer claims from November 2017, none of them independently verified. Final specifications are expected at the October 1, 2026 reveal.
02 / The car
A grand tourer built to embarrass hypercars.
The Roadster is meant to be a usable four-seater with a roof you can take off and a range long enough for road trips, and still quicker than almost anything with a licence plate.
200 kWh battery
About two and a half times the capacity of a Model Y Long Range. That pack is what the 620-mile range claim depends on.
Removable glass roof
A lightweight glass roof comes off and stows in the trunk, so the car can be a coupe or an open roadster.
2+2 seating
Two full seats in front and two small rear seats. That is rare for a car in this performance class, and more practical as a result.
Carbon-fibre redesign
Reports suggest the car was reworked from scratch as a carbon-fibre hypercar and dropped the earlier plan to reuse Plaid components. Details are due at the reveal.
SpaceX package
An optional pack of cold-gas thrusters that Tesla says improves acceleration, braking and cornering. There is more on it below.
03 / The option everyone asks about
Cold-gas thrusters on a road car.
In 2018, Elon Musk said the Roadster would offer a “SpaceX option package” with about ten small rocket thrusters around the car. They would run on high-pressure air from a composite overwrapped pressure vessel, a tank design used on the Falcon 9.
The official teaser for the 2026 reveal shows four horizontal nozzles at the rear of the car. Reporting ahead of the event links the package to a 0–60 mph time of about 1.1 seconds.
- Working principlePressurised air released through nozzles, with no combustion
- Stated goalsBetter acceleration, top speed, braking and cornering
- Reported 0–60~1.1 s (unverified)
- Teaser detailFour horizontally arranged rear nozzles
- PriceNot announced
Open question
It is not clear whether thrusters are legal on public roads in the US or any other market. Early reports suggest the package may be limited to track use.
04 / Timeline
From Lotus chassis to Waco stage.
The Roadster name spans two very different cars. The first one launched Tesla. The second has become the company’s longest-running promise.
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2008 – 2012
The original Roadster
Tesla’s first car used a chassis adapted from the Lotus Elise and a lithium-ion pack made of laptop-style cells. About 2,450 were built. It had an EPA-rated range of roughly 245 miles, which no production EV had matched at the time.
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Nov 16, 2017
Surprise unveiling Reveal
At the Tesla Semi event in Hawthorne, California, a red Roadster drove out of the Semi’s trailer. Tesla announced 1.9 s to 60 mph, 250+ mph, 620 miles of range and a $200,000 base price, and opened reservations the same night.
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Feb 6, 2018
A Roadster goes to space
Musk’s personal first-generation Roadster, with a mannequin named “Starman” in the driver’s seat, flew as the dummy payload on the first Falcon Heavy launch. It is still in orbit around the Sun.
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2020
Original production target Missed
The date given at the 2017 unveiling. Work was pushed back while Tesla ramped up Model 3 and Model Y.
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2022 – 2024
A string of new dates Missed
The chip shortage and other priorities moved the Roadster to 2022, then 2023, then 2024. Musk later said the design goals had been “raised” along the way.
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2025 – Aug 2026
Demo dates keep slipping Missed
A promised demo at the end of 2025 moved to April 1, 2026, then to late April and then to August. Some well-known reservation holders cancelled publicly and asked for their deposits back.
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Oct 1, 2026
Production-spec reveal Upcoming
An invitation-only event for reservation holders in Waco, Texas, at 8:30 p.m. Eastern, under the tagline “Go for launch.” It should be the first look at the production car.
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2027 – 2028
Target production window
Production is expected 12 to 18 months after the reveal, at Gigafactory Texas in Austin. Given the history, treat this date with caution.
05 / Pricing & reservations
What it costs, as announced.
These are the prices Tesla published in 2017. Production pricing has not been confirmed and may change at the reveal.
$200,000announced
- US reservation
- $5,000 up front, then $45,000 within 10 days
- Total deposit
- $50,000
- Deliveries
- After the Founders Series
$250,000announced
- US reservation
- Full $250,000 up front
- Allocation
- 1,000 cars announced
- Deliveries
- First to be built
06 / Context
How the claims stack up.
The electric hypercar class has caught up since 2017. Here is the Roadster’s announced spec next to its predecessor and the Rimac Nevera, one of the quickest production cars ever tested.
| Metric | Roadster · 2nd gen | Roadster · 2008 | Rimac Nevera |
|---|---|---|---|
| 0–60 mph | 1.9 s (claimed) | 3.7–3.9 s | ~1.8 s (tested) |
| Top speed | 250+ mph | 125 mph | 256 mph |
| Range | 620 mi (claimed) | ~245 mi EPA | ~300 mi WLTP-based |
| Motors | 3 | 1 | 4 |
| Seats | 2 + 2 | 2 | 2 |
| Base price | $200,000 | ~$109,000 | ~$2.2 million |
| Status | Reveal Oct 2026 | Out of production | Limited run |
07 / FAQ
Questions people ask.
Is this the official Tesla website?
No. Roadster Reservation is an independent information site run by enthusiasts. It is not affiliated with, endorsed by or sponsored by Tesla, Inc. For official information, visit tesla.com.
Can I reserve a Roadster here?
No. Despite the domain name, this site does not take reservations, deposits or payments of any kind. Reservations go through Tesla directly. If anyone contacts you and claims to represent this site with an offer involving money, it is not us.
When will the Roadster actually be delivered?
The latest public guidance puts production 12 to 18 months after the October 1, 2026 reveal, which means 2027 or 2028, with Founders Series cars first. The Roadster has missed many earlier targets, so wait for firm dates from Tesla.
Will the specs change from the 2017 announcement?
Probably. The car has reportedly been redesigned around a carbon-fibre structure. Musk has said several times that the goals were raised, but only the production spec sheet will settle it. We will update this page once official figures are published.
Is the SpaceX thruster package street-legal?
That has not been confirmed. Thrusters that discharge compressed gas raise regulatory questions in most markets, and early reporting suggests the package may be for track use only.
Where do your figures come from?
From Tesla’s public statements, the 2017 unveiling and reputable automotive press. Each claim is marked as claimed, reported or verified where that matters. The main sources are listed below.
08 / Sources
Further reading.
- Tesla Roadster, official pagetesla.com
- Tesla Roadster (second generation)Wikipedia
- Tesla Roadster (first generation)Wikipedia
- Elon Musk’s Tesla Roadster (Starman)Wikipedia
- Report fraudU.S. Federal Trade Commission