Today Tesla unveiled the long awaited next version of their Roadster model. The unveil was nothing like any other car company has done before taking nearly everyone at the event by surprise and sending shockwaves across social media.
The Basics:
- Tesla partnered with engineers at SpaceX to modify and integrate orbital space tech into the car.
- The “cold gas thrusters” which help satellites maneuver in orbit, MMUs, and Falcon-9 first stages maneuver during self-landing are used to help the car hop, roll, and thrust forward.
- The car includes another innovation: a multi-mode fan that sucks out air to give the car more ‘suction’ allowing it to drive upside down.
- The flying version of the new Roadster (trim named “Rocket”) is available by invite only (no I did not get an invite) with no known price at this time.
- The car maker is selling a version that includes only rear cold gas thrusters for a $250,000 upfront payment ($5,000 deposit, $245,000 due in 10-days. Final price unknown.)
- The standard Tesla Roadster (called “Performance”) with no space inspired thrusters requires a $50,000 up front payment ($5,000 deposit, $45,000 due in 10-days. Final price unknown.)
- Learn more or reserver your Roadster here: https://www.tesla.com/roadster
Today’s Demonstration
The unveiling and driving demonstration that took place at SpaceX’s Rocket Development and Testing facility in McGregor, Texas today was nothing short of amazing and awe inspiring. Unfortunately, I cannot seem to get Tesla (or SpaceX) to invite us to these things no matter how many subscribers we get, so I had to watch it online like everyone else. Still, what I saw was nothing short of incredible and that may not be giving it enough credit.
The Tesla Roadster Can Fly
In this clip watch as a Tesla Roadster Rocket edition clears the entire Tesla line of vehicles in a non-ramp assisted jump using only the cold-gas thrusters to jump, thrust, and barrell roll.
BREAKING: Tesla’s new Roadster just flew, pulling a barrel roll over a Tesla Semi.
@elonmusk: "I’ve seen a lot of things, but I’ve never seen that before."
"We call that the kickflip." https://t.co/pnJyuQREk3
— KanekoaTheGreat (@KanekoaTheGreat) October 16, 2026
The Tesla Roadster Can Drive Upside Down (and land gracefully)
Real life, baby https://t.co/3QEqn18wig
— Tesla (@Tesla) October 16, 2026
Tesla’s New Roadster Aims to Redefine What a Sports Car Can Do
The original Tesla Roadster wrapped up production more than a decade ago. The new one is something else entirely—an all-electric two-seater that Tesla is positioning as a car that can do things no production vehicle has done before.
At its core is a multi-mode fan and ground-sealing system that pulls air out from underneath the car to generate downforce. Tesla says the suction is strong enough to hold the Roadster upside down even when it’s sitting still. Combined with powered fans and active wings, the system is meant to deliver massive downforce at zero speed and improve traction and cornering in pretty much any condition. A next-gen steer-by-wire setup is supposed to give the driver strong feedback, and there’s a Track Mode that drops the car and lets you switch between high-downforce and low-drag settings.
Then there are the cold-gas thrusters. These use all-electric actuators for precise thrust and tiny corrections in a fraction of a second. On the higher-end versions, they’re meant to help stabilize the car in flight. Tesla’s framing is straightforward: they already put a Roadster in a rocket, and now they’re putting a rocket in the Roadster.
The car comes in three versions:
The base Performance model is road-ready with seating for two. It gets the active aerodynamics and the multi-mode suction system for strong performance both on the street and on track.
The Thrust version (a limited release) is also a two-seater and is described as race-ready. It adds cold-gas thrusters in the rear that Tesla claims can launch the car from 0-60 mph in under a second. The company notes that the performance details it’s highlighting largely reflect this Thrust package, which is available as an optional upgrade.
The Rocket version is invite-only and seats one. Thrusters are positioned around the perimeter of the car so they can provide forward thrust, upward lift, and lateral rotation. Tesla’s line is simple: “So yes, it can fly.” It also carries a clear note that this version is not approved for public road use and isn’t available in every region. Most likely if you try flying over rush hour traffic on I-35 you’ll get a very big ticket for it.
Reservations for the “Performance” (base model) are open with a $50,000 deposit—$5,000 due today (fully refundable) and the remaining $45,000 within 10 days. The Thrust model requires a $250,000 deposit (or maybe full price? We’re not sure yet) with a $5,000 deposit due on reservation (fully refundable) and $245,000 due in 10-days. Your reservation isn’t finalized until the full amount is paid, and Tesla can cancel it if the balance doesn’t arrive on time. The payment appears to mainly holds your place in line for configuration once production is closer; it isn’t a binding order, and the car is still under development. Like the first run of Roadster, this appears to be largely for the wealthiest electric car buyers.
Tesla is making big claims here including downforce strong enough to stick the car to the ceiling, sub-one-second acceleration with thrusters, and a version that can actually fly. They demonstrated these remarkably and shockingly well, so they are likely to be true in production models. Whether all of that holds up once the Roadster reaches production is the part everyone will be watching. For now, the Texas-based company is describing a machine that treats the usual limits of a sports car as optional and that is freaking awesome.
