The Battery-Powered Bullet That Might Kill Speed Limits (and Sanity)
Tesla Roadster. The car that Elon Musk promised would bend the laws of physics, terrify Ferraris, and possibly even make petrol cry.
You see, back in 2017, Elon—having just launched rockets for fun and probably bored at a SpaceX lunch—decided that the world needed a car that could go from 0 to 100 km/h in 2.1 seconds, travel over 1,000 kilometers on a charge, and do a top speed north of 400 km/h. And not just that—it would be electric, have rocket boosters (yes, seriously), and seat four people, technically. The design? Penned under the quietly brilliant Franz von Holzhausen, the Roadster looks like something James Bond would drive if Q suddenly got very into lithium-ion batteries.
Now, remember this is Tesla. So the “2020” Roadster is, naturally, not out in 2020. Or 2021. Or 2022. But Elon did do something rather marvelous—he launched the original Roadster into space. I mean, really. Ferrari sends their cars to Monaco. Tesla sends them to Mars.
On paper, it makes the Bugatti Chiron look like a sluggish boat anchor. In real life, though? Well, we’re still waiting to find out if it’s real life or just one of Elon’s tweets made flesh. But one thing’s certain—if this thing actually delivers what it promises, it won’t just be a car. It’ll be the electric horseman of the automotive apocalypse.
The Tesla Roadster: The Car That Promised to Outrun Tom Cruise, Outshine Iron Man, and Outsell Common Sense
Let’s begin with a simple question: What do you get when you mix Elon Musk, a midlife crisis, a box of lithium, and a few too many Red Bulls? The answer is, of course, the Tesla Roadster. Not the first one, which looked like a Lotus Elise that had swallowed a computer. No, I’m talking about the new one—the “2020” Roadster, which, like most of my gym memberships, exists more in theory than reality.
Now, this thing was unveiled in 2017 with the kind of fanfare usually reserved for royal weddings or new Star Wars trailers. There it stood: sleek, low, and redder than Robert Downey Jr.’s goatee. Musk claimed it would do 0–100 km/h in 2.1 seconds. That’s quicker than Lewis Hamilton reacting to a team radio message that says, “Box this lap.” Top speed? Over 400 km/h. Which, in real-world terms, means you’ll reach your mother-in-law’s house before she even texts to say she’s coming over.
The design came from Franz von Holzhausen, who previously worked at Mazda and now seems to sketch cars while skydiving. The man is responsible for the Model S, which revolutionised the luxury sedan, and the Cybertruck, which looks like it was drawn by a six-year-old using an Etch A Sketch in zero gravity. So naturally, the Roadster is a spaceship disguised as a car. It doesn’t just break the mould—it vaporises it.
And then came the SpaceX option. Yes, you heard me. Elon decided that what this world really needed was a car with rocket boosters. No doubt inspired by a night of tequila with Joe Rogan and possibly a phone call from Tom Cruise asking if it could be used in the next Mission: Impossible movie. And you just know that Vin Diesel is somewhere, whispering “family” while trying to jump this thing off the moon.
Oh, and let’s not forget that another Roadster is already floating somewhere past Mars. Musk literally launched a car into space with a dummy called Starman in the driver’s seat, listening to David Bowie. Because when other car CEOs give you marketing, Elon gives you orbital mechanics.
And yet, as of today, you can’t actually buy one. You can reserve one—for the price of a decent London flat—but not drive it. Because it’s 2025 now, and we’re still waiting. Somewhere, Steve McQueen is rolling in his grave, probably wondering why he never had rocket thrusters on his Mustang.
Still, if it ever arrives, this Roadster could become the most ridiculous, over-engineered, utterly magnificent vehicle the world has ever seen. It won’t be a car—it’ll be a Bond gadget, a YouTube stunt, a physics-defying monument to one man’s refusal to be normal.
“ The people who are crazy enough to think they can change the world are the ones who do. ”
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Steve Jobs
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American entrepreneur and co-founder of Apple Inc.
Your Turn Behind the Wheel: What Do You Think?
Tesla Roadster 2020