The new Tesla Roadster has just been revealed, and the first thing you see is gas blasting out of the back of it.

Tesla says one version of this car can fly.

It calls the Roadster ‘a true pilot’s car’ and has a line that sums the whole thing up: “We already put Roadster in a rocket. Now we put a rocket in Roadster.”

Let’s look at what that actually means.

The new Tesla Roadster can do 0 to 60 in under one second

If you’re looking at the back of the new Roadster, you might think you’re looking at exhausts.

But those aren’t exhausts; they’re cold-gas thrusters, and they’re on the Thrust version of the car.

Tesla says they push the Roadster from 0 to 60 mph in under one second.

It could stick to the ceiling

Now look underneath. All three versions get what Tesla calls a multi-mode suction system: powered fans that pull air out from under the car and seal it to the ground.

Tesla says it makes enough suction to hold the car upside down, even when it’s standing still.

Add active wings and a Track Mode that drops the car lower, and Tesla says you get huge downforce at zero speed.

Tesla’s small print says some of these track features come only with the Rocket version.

Three versions to pick from

Tesla is selling the Roadster as one car with two add-ons stacked on top.

Version	How you get one	Seats	What you get
Performance	By reservation	2	Road ready. Active aero and the suction system
Thrust	Limited release, one per customer	2	Race ready. Everything in Performance, plus thrusters in the back
Rocket	Invite only	1	Air ready. Everything in Thrust, plus a full flight system

The one that flies

The Rocket version has one seat and thrusters placed all the way round the car.

Tesla says they push it forwards and upwards, and can spin it sideways too.

“So yes, it can fly,” Tesla confirmed.

Tesla says the thrusters use all-electric actuators that make tiny corrections in a fraction of a second to keep the car steady in the air.

Just don’t plan the school run in it: Tesla says it’s not approved for public roads, and it isn’t sold in every region.

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Inside the Tesla Roadster: a yoke, not a wheel

There’s no round steering wheel, just a yoke designed for Tesla’s steer-by-wire system.

The cabin is what Tesla calls Ultrawhite, with grey microsuede on the trim and on the seat bolsters for extra grip. You get a center touchscreen plus two smaller screens in front of the driver.

Built with rocket tricks

The body has been designed to look super clean.

Tesla hid the headlights, ran one taillight the full width of the car, and made the aero sit flush.

• The paint: Ano White. Tesla says it borrows from the coatings that protect rockets from UV, extreme cold and corrosion.
• The glass: gold-tinted to look like the copper coating on a spacesuit visor.
• The materials: magnesium, titanium and carbon fibre to keep the weight down.
• The seat: fixed in place, with manual controls, to save even more weight.

What it takes to reserve one

Reservations for the flying car are open now.

Tesla hasn’t shown a full price for any version yet, but here’s what it’s asking customers to put down.

Version	Deposit	Paid today	Paid within 10 days
Performance	$50,000	$5,000 (fully refundable)	$45,000
Thrust	$250,000	$5,000 (fully refundable)	$245,000
Rocket	Invite only	Not open to reserve online	—

Miss the 10-day payment, and Tesla can cancel your reservation.

The Thrust version is limited to one per customer.