Tesla Revives the Roadster With a New Reservation Plan

AUSTIN, Texas — Tesla Inc. is preparing to unveil a redesigned, production-ready version of its next-generation Roadster at an Oct. 1 event in Texas. The presentation revives the long-delayed flagship sports car project alongside a restructured reservation program.

Prospective buyers must now submit an upfront, refundable $5,000 credit card deposit through Tesla’s online ordering system. They will then have 10 days to send a $45,000 wire transfer to secure a production allocation.

Tesla Chief Executive Elon Musk announced the Oct. 1 date on the social media platform X after company promotional channels published teaser graphics under the banner “Go for launch.” At the All-In Summit, Musk said Tesla scheduled an in-person event so attendees could directly witness physical demonstrations of the vehicle.

The Roadster was first introduced as a concept nearly nine years ago, but its engineering has changed substantially since that initial phase. According to reporting from The Information, Tesla moved away from adapting the mechanical architecture of the Model S Plaid sedan and shifted development toward a dedicated carbon-fiber hypercar platform.

Tesla has also worked with Space Exploration Technologies Corp. (SpaceX) on an optional performance package. The package incorporates cold-gas thrusters powered by compressed air to assist with acceleration, braking, and handling.

The second-generation Roadster prototype appeared in November 2017 at an event in Hawthorne, California. The vehicle drove out from the trailer of the prototype Tesla Semi, and Tesla then targeted an initial release date of 2020.

At that unveiling, Tesla advertised zero-to-60 mph acceleration in 1.9 seconds, a top speed surpassing 250 mph, and a 620-mile range supported by a 200-kilowatt-hour battery pack. The automaker listed a $200,000 base price and required a $50,000 reservation deposit.

A limited run of 1,000 “Founders Series” models was also offered, with the full $250,000 purchase price required upfront. Tesla has not confirmed updated final pricing or explained how earlier reservation holders from 2017 will be positioned in the revised production queue.

Production was later postponed as Tesla prioritized manufacturing expansion for high-volume consumer models, including the Model 3 sedan and Model Y crossover. The company also focused on the commercial rollout of the Cybertruck and dedicated automated driving initiatives.

The next-generation hypercar returns Tesla to the vehicle category that launched the automaker. Between 2008 and 2012, Tesla manufactured approximately 2,450 units of its original Roadster, which was built around a modified Lotus Elise chassis.

That original Roadster represented the first highway-capable, production all-electric car to use lithium-ion battery cells in the United States. The renewed focus on the vehicle comes as Tesla shares trade around $375, amid ongoing investor attention on the company’s long-term product roadmap across passenger vehicles, energy generation, and autonomous mobility.