Watch it fly over cars using thrusters, do a backflip and land like a helicopter: The futuristic SpaceX-powered 2nd-generation Roadster by Tesla is here

Elon Musk’s electronic car firm, Tesla unveiled its redesigned second-generation Roadster on Thursday night, October 15, at a livestreamed event. The sports car was revealed at a large event held at a SpaceX rocket test facility in Texas, complete with fog and laser lights.

This comes after nearly a decade’s wait. The event was held almost exactly nine years after Tesla first revealed the second-generation Roadster. The car was announced as a modernized version of its first-ever car. A prototype was later revealed as a surprise during an event in 2017. The car was supposed to reach customers just a few years after the event, with deliveries scheduled to begin in 2020. Then again in 2024 in a post on X, Musk said the car had been redesigned.

The original Roadster was released in 2008 and went on sale in 2012. It was Tesla’s first-ever electric vehicle and used a Lotus Elise chassis. The model revolutionized what electric cars could look like.


The company even allowed customers to place $50,000 deposits to reserve the car. Several customers paid $250,000 to reserve one of only 1,000 “Founder Series” versions, according to TechCrunch. During the event, Musk said Tesla will build the long delayed vehicle in 2028.

The Roadster can fly over cars then land like helicopter using SpaceX thrusters

The Tesla event saw the second-generation Roadster use a mixture of high-powered thrusters to drive upside down on an inverted ramp. The car then spun around and briefly flew to ease itself into landing on the ground below, just like a helicopter would. The demonstration also showed the car lifting itself over a Cybercab, Cybertruck, Tesla Semi, Model Y and Model 3. It remained in motion while jumping over all these vehicles.

The two-seat model also drove up a half-pipe ramp and launched off the top while remaining in the air for a few seconds before landing. It also became air-borne after building up speed on flat ground. The company also highlighted a 0 to 60 mph acceleration in approximately one second.

A series of thrusters in the bottom of the vehicle and back propelled it into the air and also cushioned the landing. These thrusters, designed in collaboration with Musk’s SpaceX, use compressed air to assist the car in acceleration, braking and flying briefly. Musk first talked about adding thrusters to the car in 2018.

The company, on its website called the Roadster a “True Pilot’s Car”. It added that the vehicle can perform at levels unlike any other production car and that it unlocks an entirely new dimension of driving.

Tesla to offer a “Rocket” version of the Roadster

Tesla will offer the car in three trims, according to TechCrunch. The first is ‘Performance’, which is described as a road ready model. This will seat two people and has active aerodynamics, and a “multi-mode suction system”. Another trim the Roadster will be offered in is “Thrust”, which is described as a “race ready” model. This trim had several rear cold-gas thrusters. The third trim is “Rocket”, which is “air ready”. This model will only seat a single person. It had 10 cold-gas thrusters around the car.

Tesla is taking new reservations for the car. The company is charging $50,000 to reserve the Performance trim and $250,000 for the Thrust trim. The firm’s website says that the Rocket trim is “invite only”.

Also read: Steven Soderbergh to help finish Matt Reeves’ ‘The Batman Part II’: Know his other movies and what he is known for

What did Musk say about the car?

After the second-generation Roadster was unveiled, Musk said, “This will be the actual car that’s on the roads”. Describing the vehicle, he added, “It literally is just going to puff itself up and be able to do…these maneuvers whenever you’d like”.

During the event Musk also said that the Roadster may try to “jump the Snake River Canyon”. The site is famed for Evel Knievel’s attempt to cross the canyon in a steam-powered rocket. According to TechCrunch, Musk had previously also stated that “safety is not the main goal for the Roadster”.

Tesla’s engineering VP, Lars Moravy said the Roadster used 10 thrusters connected to 600 liters of compressed air to lift and spin the car while it is airborne. The vehicle’s air tank can be recharged, he added. The company’s chief designer, Franz con Holzhausen said the Roadster is designed with an “aerospace aesthetic”.

Morningstar analyst Seth Goldstein expects Tesla to sell around 2,000 Roadsters each year. The amount is a fraction of the 1.6 million vehicles the electric vehicle firm sold in 2025.