Yahoo Autos 2021 Tesla Roadster Will Be World's Fastest Production Car, Musk Says
What It Is: Either a mound of provocative ballyhoo or a galactic nut kick to the makers of gas-fed hypercars. Either way, it’s gorgeous, with wheels sprawled to its corners and a skin stretched as tight as Mickey Rourke’s.
Why It Matters: Elon Musk, as he’s prone to do, is making big claims for the car. Like the one he sputtered out with gormless confidence at the Roadster’s three-ring rollout last November: “The new Tesla Roadster will be the fastest production car ever made. Period.” That would mean beating the Koenigsegg Agera RS’s top-speed record of 277.9 mph, but we wonder if the Tesla boss is confusing his superlatives here and intended to say “quickest.” Musk claims that the Roadster will run from zero to 60 in 1.9 seconds, clear 100 mph in 4.2, and complete the quarter-mile in 8.9 with a maximum speed “above 250 mph” right out of the box. And that’s the base model, which he hinted is only the beginning of the Roadster’s performance.
Platform: Possibly you’ve noticed that the Roadster isn’t a roadster at all but a targa, which stores its glass roof in the trunk. Beyond that, we know only that it has four seats. Musk calls it a two-plus-two, so don’t count on moving four adults, which matters little here.
Powertrain: Three motors—two driving the rear wheels and one driving the fronts—will power the thing. Given the performance claims, a multispeed gearbox seems likely. A 200-kWh battery pack—that’s twice the capacity of the largest pack currently available from Tesla—provides the juice for all that speed, acceleration, and a claimed 620-mile range at highway speeds.
Competition: McLaren BP23, Mercedes-AMG Project One, Porsche Mission E, Thor, Zeus, Medusa, and whatever other hyperbolic insanity exists in 2020.
What Might Go Wrong: Owners could expect the car to live up to Musk’s claims, which has been a problem for Tesla. Or they could expect it to do things other hypercars can do, such as, say, lap a track with consistent performance—also a problem for at least one Tesla. And using a 200-kWh battery pack adds weight. Tesla will need to up its tech significantly to make this a track hound, a dragster, and a lake-bed special all in one. But it’s only claiming two of the three.
Estimated Arrival and Price: Tesla says it’ll go on sale in 2020 and start at $200,000. But it’s said such things before. Here’s to us eating those words.
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