◐
Written by
on 

Elon Musk revealed the Roadster nearly 9 years ago. Tesla is about to do it again.

Elon Musk revealed the Roadster nearly 9 years ago. Tesla is about to do it again.

By

Ben Shimkus

You're currently following this author! Want to unfollow? Unsubscribe via the link in your email.

A red Tesla Roadster prototype drives down a two-lane road.

Tesla's Roadster reboot finally has a reveal date.

Tesla

Finally!

In a Saturday X post, Tesla said it will unveil the second-generation Roadster on October 1. CEO Elon Musk first revealed the rebooted halo vehicle nearly nine years ago, in November 2017, making this its second unveiling.

The post was captioned "Go for launch," showing a Roadster in a shaft of light with "10.01" at the bottom. Musk added that the car is "out of this world."

It'll be a unique offering in Tesla's lineup — with an eye-watering price tag.

The automaker has promised a sleek convertible with a 0-to-60-mph time of 1.9 seconds, a top speed above 250 mph, up to 620 miles of range — all old-school driver-oriented performance metrics from a company increasingly betting on an autonomous future. Musk has also teased a SpaceX collaboration that could give the Roadster cold-gas thrusters — "rocket-y stuff," as he put it — that could briefly lift the car in the air.

Tesla's post quickly got the meme treatment, with some joking about how long they've waited to see the high-priced car.

Tesla began taking reservations in 2017, asking for a $50,000 deposit for the base car and $250,000 upfront for a Founders Series. Musk has acknowledged the long wait in recent years, thanking the vehicle's "long-suffering" deposit holders on an October 2024 earnings call.

Some big-name early reservation holders have removed their names from the Roadster's queue. OpenAI CEO Sam Altman and YouTuber Marques Brownlee, commonly known as MKBHD, have both said they canceled reservations.

"Well well well," Brownlee said about Saturday's Roadster post.

Read next

Headshot of Ben Shimkus

Ben Shimkus

You're currently following this author! Want to unfollow? Unsubscribe via the link in your email.

Ben Shimkus is a reporter for the Business News desk. He writes about cars, transportation, retail, and jobs. Ben's reporting has appeared in Rolling Stone, The Verge, Automotive News, USA Today, AutoBody News, LGBTQ Nation, TopSpeed, and Out Magazine. He's also held staff writing positions at The U.S. Sun and the Daily Mail. He graduated from NYU with a Master's in journalism in 2024. Email Ben at [email protected] or message him privately on Signal at bshimkus.41.