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Key Takeaways:

The Roadster prototype drove upside down, flipped in the air, and hit 0 – 60 mph in 0.81 seconds.
The car uses four underbody fans to glue itself to the ground and up to 10 SpaceX cold gas thrusters to push and steer the car in the air.
Tesla introduced the Performance, Thrust, and single seat Rocket editions, with the top model aiming for a 0–60 mph time under 0.59 seconds.

Tesla has officially unveiled the Roadster at a SpaceX facility in Texas, featuring extreme SpaceX rocket thrusters, an underbody suction system, and a sub-one-second 0 – 60 mph time.

Real life, baby https://t.co/3QEqn18wig

— Tesla (@Tesla) October 16, 2026

Table of Contents

Defying Gravity with Extreme Live Stunts

The car drove up a 20 meter curved ramp and drove upside down. Special fans under the car created 4,700 kg of downward force to keep it stuck to the ramp. The car then shot off the ramp upside down, used air thrusters to spin in the air, and landed in a cloud of white smoke.

roadster

Roadster is a true pilot’s car: active aerodynamics, a multi-mode suction system & cold-gas thrusters

In a second stunt, the Roadster jumped over Tesla vehicles, including a Model 3, Model Y, Cybertruck, Cybercab, and Semi, while flipping in the air before landing. The car also showed off a 0 – 60 mph (0 – 96 km/h) sprint in 0.81 seconds. The test car used Tesla’s self-driving software during the stunts, Elon Musk said the Roadster will be the last and best human-driven car Tesla will ever build.

The Technology Behind the Stunts

Unlike the 2017 concept car which promised four seats and a 620-mile driving range, this Roadster focuses on extreme speed and air stunts. It does this using two systems.

Underbody Suction Fans

The car has four electric fans under the floor. These fans suck air out from under the car to pull it down to the road.

underbody-sunction-fans

This suction is strong enough to hold the car upside down even when standing and it will help the car take sharp corners at high speeds. It has two modes: a low speed mode for maximum grip, and a high speed mode that can open airflow under the car to work with a moving rear wing.

SpaceX Air Thrusters

The Roadster will use SpaceX rocket technology. Instead of burning fuel it will use high pressure air stored inside carbon tanks. The car can refill these air tanks by itself.

The top version has 10 air nozzles placed around the body. The main back thrusters push the car forward with the force of a small jet for 5 to 6 seconds at a time. Smaller thrusters around the car keep it balanced and control how it spins while jumping in the air.

Three Models and Key Features

Performance, Thrust, and Rocket Editions

Tesla announced three main versions of the Roadster. All of them come with the underbody suction fans.

The Performance model is a two seat car made for regular roads. It goes from 0 to 60 mph in under 1.6 seconds and requires a $50,000 refundable deposit.

The Thrust model is a limited two seat. It adds four back thrusters and a 200 liter air tank. It hits 0 – 60 mph in under 0.9 seconds (around 0.81 to 0.85 seconds) and requires a $250,000 deposit.

The Rocket model is an invite only version built for air jumps. It removes the passenger seat to fit a huge 600 liter air tank and all 10 thrusters. It targets a 0 to 60 mph time under 0.59 seconds. Because of powerful thrusters, it won’t be legal on roads in many places.

Battery, Speed, and Design

The Roadster uses two rear motors that make more than 1,340 horsepower. This makes it a third more powerful than the Model S Plaid, even though the motor unit weighs half as much. The lightest version of the car weighs about 1,700 kg.

The 150 kWh battery gives more than 300 miles (480 km) of driving range. It is also Tesla’s fastest charging battery, going from 15% to 85% in about 10 minutes on a V4 Supercharger. The top speed is over 230 mph (370 km/h), Musk hopes top models can reach 330 mph or more if the tires can handle it.