Tesla's new Roadster can fly, flip and hit 60mph in under a second — but it is NOT road legal
A Tesla Roadster prototype, which the company first showed in 2017 after promising deliveries by 2020 — a launch that never came.
Elon Musk unveiled the long-awaited Tesla Roadster at SpaceX's test facility in McGregor, Texas, nine years after first announcing the model. The two-seater drove upside down on a ramp using suction fans, launched into the air, flipped using cold-gas thrusters borrowed from SpaceX rockets, and lowered itself gently to the ground. Musk declared 'flying cars are real' and promised production will begin in 2028, with a single clip of the event racking up 47 million views on X.
The flying version is invite-only and Tesla's own website confirms it is 'not approved for public road use' in any jurisdiction.
Tech blogger Marques Brownlee was blunt on X: 'This is a prank, right?' — questioning whether a 4,000-plus pound car could really hit 380mph.
Musk admitted before the stunt that 'success is not guaranteed' — and concedes the car probably won't 'move the needle massively from a revenue standpoint'.
