Elon Musk promised a car that could fly. He delivered a vehicle that does exactly that. On Thursday, the SpaceX founder stood in Texas and showed off a machine that defies gravity.
The new Roadster hit 60 mph in 0.81 seconds. It then lifted off the ground and drove upside down on a ramp. This is not a movie stunt. It happened live in front of a crowd.
The Flight Demonstration
The event took place at a SpaceX site in McGregor, Texas. Musk told guests the car “can basically fly like a rocket.” He also said it can do “rolls” and “crazy gymnastics” while being shown off.
The vehicle used a special suction system to stick to a curved ramp. It then spun in the air before landing safely. “We have a fan suction system on the bottom of the car that can pull up to 2Gs (twice the force of gravity) in order to make the car upside down,” Lars Moravy said while explaining how it worked.
Musk joked that he thought he was “crazy” for suggesting the idea to his team. He teased that the car is “better than any James Bond car.” The crowd saw it with their own eyes, proving it was real.
Speed and Production Plans
The car reached a top speed of 230 mph during tests. It has a battery range of at least 300 miles. Musk hinted it might go even faster, suggesting it could reach Mach 0.5.
RedState reports the vehicle is expected to enter production in 2028. It will be the only manually driven car Tesla makes. Musk said he did not want to “kill anyone” during the demo, so no human was inside the driver seat.
According to reports, the vehicle represents the finest example of the final human-driven cars. He noted that the car uses a steer-by-wire system and built-in thrusters to perform a kick-flip mid-air.
This project combines the world’s best car company with the world’s best rocket company. “We need an audience to prove that it’s not AI or SI,” Musk told the crowd. He wanted people to know what they saw was real engineering.
Observers on social media were stunned by the footage. One user asked, “So they turned Teslas into cats?” The car even lifted itself over other Tesla vehicles like a Cybertruck and a Model Y.
The technology includes cold-gas thrusters for the “Thrust” model. This trim is described as “race ready” with rear-mounted thrusters. The “Performance” model is “road ready” with active aerodynamics.
Musk ended the clip by deadpanning, “Well, it worked.” The car is now ready to change how we think about driving forever.
