Tesla unveiled its next-generation Roadster prototype on Thursday night at SpaceX’s McGregor test site near Waco, Texas.
Watch the video from the event as the electric sports car clung upside down to a tall curved ramp using suction fans, then used compressed-air thrusters to flip in mid-air and jump over a row of Tesla vehicles that included a Semi, Cybertruck, and Cybercab. A live run recorded a 0-to-60 mph time of 0.81 seconds.
“This will be the actual car that’s on the roads,” Elon Musk said during the demonstration. He called the Roadster the result of “a collaboration between the world’s best car company and the world’s best rocket company.”
Real life, baby https://t.co/3QEqn18wig
— Tesla (@Tesla) October 16, 2026
Lars Moravy, Tesla’s vice president of vehicle engineering, told the crowd, “Flying cars are real,” after one of the stunts. Musk later added, “This is not necessarily a safety-optimized car, but it takes the fun meter to 11 out of 10.”
Tesla Roadster’s official website has all the details.
Three variants and SpaceX thrusters
Tesla listed three versions. The Performance trim is road-ready, seats two, and uses a multi-mode suction system for downforce on and off the track. The Thrust version is race-ready, also seats two, and adds rear-mounted cold-gas thrusters that enable sub-one-second acceleration.
Turns out the future does have flying cars https://t.co/6fexPp6SXI
— Elon Musk (@elonmusk) October 16, 2026
The Rocket version is air-ready, seats one, and carries a full set of perimeter thrusters for upward lift and rotational movement. Tesla says the Rocket is invite-only and not approved for public road use.
The thruster system draws on SpaceX hardware. Two carbon-overwrapped pressure vessels hold about 250 kilograms of compressed air across 600 liters and feed 10 nozzles.
The car can recharge its own tanks. A fan-based suction system mounted underneath generates enough force to hold the car to a surface even when inverted.
https://t.co/KBWjjWknXe
— Elon Musk (@elonmusk) October 16, 2026
Musk joked, “This car could suck the chrome off a trailer hitch. And it can stick upside down.” Watch the official Tesla video and posts for the full sequence of the thruster and suction demos.
All three variants are listed with more than 300 miles of range and top speeds above 230 mph. Tesla is taking reservations: $50,000 for the Performance trim and $250,000 for the Thrust version.
Tesla Roadster Price
Final pricing has not been announced. Production is scheduled to begin in 2028. Musk said of the timeline, “Actually. For real,” a nod to the repeated delays since the original concept was shown in 2017.
The McGregor event was livestreamed and attended by a small group of fans, media, and investors. Design chief Franz von Holzhausen and Moravy joined Musk on stage. Watch the video and Tesla’s posts for more on the demonstration.
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