Tesla CEO Elon Musk said in 2011 that the second-generation Roadster—then known as the Model R—would enter production in 2014. The timeline for the next Roadster was later updated to 2020 when the prototype was shown in 2017. When it didn’t appear in 2020, Musk said it was 12 months away. In 2021, production was delayed to 2022 and then 2023. A year ago, the Roadster was pushed back to 2024, and just two months ago further delayed until 2025. It’s not coming, man. Buy this instead.
The original Tesla Roadster, produced from 2008 to 2011, was the boost the electric car industry needed. Tesla Motors, as it was then known, teamed up with Lotus to develop an electric sports car using the stretched Elise chassis. With a 0-60 time of 3.7 seconds, a range of nearly 250 miles and up to 288 horsepower, this was an extremely impressive sports car for its time. Since then, there hasn’t really been a solid attempt at an electric sports car, and certainly nothing like it has existed before. It’s easy to see why Tesla was such an impressive company at the time.
During 4 years of production, Tesla delivered about 2,450 Roadsters to customers in dozens of countries around the world. The initial price of the Roadster is 98,000 USD. Considering the devices mentioned, that seems like an absolute bargain these days. The car was a success and as a result won all kinds of awards.
Today, with Tesla’s longevity and great success, the original Roadster is practically a collector’s item. This beautiful blue example is currently up for auction on Bring a Trailer, and with just 24,000 miles on the odometer, this thing is still a spring chicken. You won’t be getting a new Roadster anytime soon, so buy this used one.
