Tesla has announced that it will reveal the final version of its long-promised Roadster supercar on October 1, almost nine years since the prototype was unveiled and six years after it was originally planned to go on sale.
The second-generation Roadster, the follow-up to Tesla’s first car, was originally planned to be a convertible 2+2 with a 0-60 mph time of 1.9 seconds, a top speed of more than 250 mph, and a range of 620 miles—figures that surpassed all production EVs upon their debut in 2017 and would still surpass most today.
Since the concept’s surprise debut at the Tesla Semi truck launch event, it has been repeatedly delayed. The original 2020 launch plans were pushed back to 2022, then 2022, 2023 and 2024, before a long period of silence as the company shifted its focus to other projects, including the autonomous Cybercab, which is now in commercial service.
But now it looks like Tesla is finally ready to show off the Roadster in its final form, with a post on Elon Musk’s X app announcing an event on October 1, with the tagline “Go to launch.”
That slogan is possibly a reference to optional rocket boosters that Musk previously said would allow the Roadster to reach 100 km/h from rest in just 1.1 seconds, almost twice as fast as a Formula 1 car.
The teaser image released by Tesla reveals little beyond the exhaust plumes of the promised boosters, which were reportedly developed by Musk-owned SpaceX. But visible details, including a full-width rear light bar and massive wing appearance, depart dramatically from the concept, which was a subtle, minimalist coupe derived from the Model S saloon.
The reveal event will take place in Waco, Texas, home to Lake Waco of the same name, which could serve as the home of the Roadster’s ability to float over bodies of water.
Musk originally planned that the Cybertruck pickup truck could “briefly serve as a boat,” but this functionality was never fully realized.
Tesla has invited Roadster deposit holders to the event on a non-transferable basis, but it’s unclear how many orders it has received for the delayed supercar over the past nine years.
Pricing had previously been estimated at around £150,000 for the standard car and £185,000 for the top-spec Founders Series variant.
Notably, if the October 1 event is indeed a full presentation of production specifications, the Roadster will go live in the same week as the long-awaited Jaguar Type 01, making it a landmark few days for electric vehicle announcements.
Musk has openly criticized Jaguar’s relaunch, asking the British brand on X “Do you sell cars?” in response to its 2024 ‘Copy Nothing’ brand campaign.
It’s unclear whether the Roadster’s debut date was intentionally planned to steal the spotlight from Jaguar, which confirmed its own schedules earlier this summer.
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