Tesla Roadster Concept Ditches Rocket Thrusters For Mustang V8s

Tesla’s Roadster concept reveal added another twist at SpaceX’s test site in McGregor, Texas: a vehicle that was lifted upside down using fan-powered suction and then launched on SpaceX-developed cold-gas thrusters—though it did not reach a customer’s driveway in nine years. The spectacle came nearly a decade after Tesla first showed the Roadster in November 2017, when a 2020 launch date was targeted, and production is now slated for 2028. The second Roadster concept is split into three trims: Performance, Thrust, and Rocket. Tesla claims 0–60 mph times under 1.6, 0.9, and 0.59 seconds, but notes the Rocket is not approved for public road use and street flying isn’t allowed. Reservations cost $50,000 for Performance and $250,000 for Thrust, while the Rocket is invite-only.