TLDR
- Tesla (TSLA) stock is up about 5% since yesterday after the Roadster reveal, while SpaceX (SPCX) was down about 2%.
- The Roadster flipped in the air and landed using cold-gas thrusters at SpaceX’s Waco, Texas site.
- Tesla claims 0-60 mph in 0.81 seconds in a test at the event.
- Production is set for 2028, with a $5,000 deposit and a $45,000 wire due within 10 days.
- Gene Munster called the event “an engineering flex with no commercial value.”
Tesla (TSLA) stock is up about 5% since yesterday after the company showed off its new Roadster. SpaceX (SPCX) was down about 2% in Friday trading.
The event ran two weeks late. It was first set for Oct. 1, but Tesla said weather at the demo site pushed it back.
The demo took place at SpaceX’s Rocket Development and Testing facility in Waco, Texas. A curved ramp stood in front of the crowd, shaped like an upside-down half roller coaster.
JUST IN: Elon Musk unveils the Tesla Roadster by launching it off a ramp before the car flipped in midair and safely landed on the ground.
The car is a collaboration between Tesla and SpaceX.
One of the most insane things I’ve ever seen. pic.twitter.com/4tME4yavIh
— Collin Rugg (@CollinRugg) October 16, 2026
The Roadster drove halfway up the ramp. A fan suction system held it to the surface, even upside down.
Lars Moravy, Tesla’s vice president of vehicle engineering, said the system can “pull up to 2 Gs.” He added that Tesla “borrowed some technology from SpaceX to do the rest.”
What the Roadster Did on Stage
The car then launched off the ramp upside down and flipped in the air. Thrusters turned it right side up before it landed on the tarmac.
BREAKING: Tesla’s Roadster goes airborne, soaring over a row of Tesla vehicles in a live stunt at its unveiling event. pic.twitter.com/9gJNPHFwPn
— Polymarket (@Polymarket) October 16, 2026
“Well, it worked,” CEO Elon Musk said. He later joked the car was “not necessarily a safety optimised car.”
A second stunt had the Roadster jump over a row of Teslas, including a semi. The car inverted itself and used its thrusters to land.
Tesla also ran a straight-line test at the event. The Roadster hit 0-60 mph in 0.81 seconds.
Tesla listed a top speed of 230 mph for the Rocket version. Musk said the production car could aim for Mach 0.5, or about 383 mph.
There are three versions. Performance is road-ready and seats two, with a 0-60 time under 1.6 seconds.
Thrust is race-ready and seats two, with rear cold-gas thrusters and a 0-60 time under 0.9 seconds. Rocket seats one and adds thrusters around the car, with a 0-60 time under 0.59 seconds.
All three have a range above 300 miles, per Tesla. The Rocket version is invite only, and there is no word on how it would be allowed on public roads.
Pricing, Timing and Reaction
Tesla has not announced a price, so brace yourself. It is expected to top $250,000.
Buyers are asked to put down $5,000. A $45,000 wire transfer is due within 10 days of that deposit.
Musk said production begins in 2028. Tesla first announced the car in 2017 and had targeted deliveries in 2020.
Gene Munster of Deepwater Management shared two takeaways on X. He said the event “was an engineering flex with no commercial value beyond embarrassing traditional car makers.”
His second point was that “Elon can’t wait to bring Tesla and SpaceX together.” Tesla stock is up about 5% since yesterday.
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