Six years ago, Tesla surprised everyone and announced the Tesla Roadster's return. But we have yet to see the new version of the car come to production. Here's everything we know about the Roadster.
History of the Roadster
Tesla made roughly 2,450 Roadsters between 2008 and 2012, according to an SEC filing, selling the limited-production car for about $100,000 and up.
The Roadster is now considered an important piece of EV history.
"It was Tesla's first product, so it has that special place in history. As Tesla's fortunes have grown and as it's become the company that it is today, a lot of that gets rooted back to the Roadster," Brian Rabold, vice president of automotive intelligence at Hagerty, told Insider in 2022.
The original Tesla Roadster's value has grown alongside the company's profile.
Roadster values averaged $69,000 in 2020, according to figures from Hagerty, which provides insurance and other services to owners of collector cars. Its figures are based on values provided by owners looking to insure their vehicles and largely reflects what they paid. In two years, Roadster values nearly doubled to $127,000 in 2022, according to Hagerty.
Tesla cofounder Martin Eberhard has said he owns the second Roadster ever made. The car has a vanity plate reading "Mr. Tesla."
Design, specs, price
The new Roadster would take Tesla's price range to new heights, with the base model costing $200,000 as the automaker announced at the car's unveiling in 2017.
Tesla CEO Elon Musk said at the time that the new Tesla Roadster "will be the fastest production car ever made, period."
Musk said the four-seater vehicle would have a top speed of 250 mph and come with a removable glass roof that stores in the trunk, Insider previously reported.
What is the Tesla Roadster 0 to 60 time?
The base model of the Roadster will do 0-60 mph in 1.9 seconds, the company said.
"It will be the first time any car has broken two seconds at 0-60," Musk said when the car was announced. "It will be the fastest to 100 mph: 4.2 seconds."
Issues with production
The Tesla Roadster's release date has already been pushed back several times from 2021-2023. The company has faced production delays for the Roadster and several other models.
"2021 has been the year of super crazy supply chain shortages, so it wouldn't matter if we had 17 new products, as none would ship," Musk tweeted in September 2021.
Musk issued the tweet in response to a question on Twitter regarding when the new Roadster would be released.
"Assuming 2022 is not mega drama, new Roadster should ship in 2023," Musk said.
Then, during an earnings call in January 2022, Musk confirmed that the automaker wouldn't be releasing any new models in 2022 to focus on scaling production further.
Musk admitted at Tesla's shareholders meeting in 2018 that his expectations can be unrealistic. Musk said they are a result of optimism, and that even if his companies' projects are late, he does tend to deliver on them.
What will the new Tesla Roadster look like?
Elon Musk displayed a new Tesla Roadster concept at the 2017 company event where he announced the car's return.
The car features a sporty profile and a sleek Tesla interior.
