Elon Musk unveiled a rocket-boosted Tesla Roadster that leaps and flips in midair after test footage captured the vehicle slamming into the ground and bursting into flames.
Guests at a SpaceX event in Texas on Thursday watched the two-seat supercar speed an arched ramp, flip, fire air-jet boosters, and clear a line of parked Teslas. The Sun reported that organizers also played earlier behind-the-scenes clips from a tall black tower, where the same propulsion system sent a test vehicle crashing down in a fiery blaze.
Musk framed the night as proof the machine is real, not a screen trick. He kept a human out of the driver’s seat on purpose.
Indoor lab footage showed the car suspended from ropes inside the black tower while thrusters fired. One run ended with the vehicle hitting the ground and erupting in flames. No injuries or damage totals were reported.
Separate clips shifted to open road. The sports car launched, landed on thrusters, climbed a sloped stretch, and even hung upside down. Musk told the crowd the hardware can “basically fly like a rocket,” pull “rolls,” and perform “crazy gymnastics.”
He added it is “better than any James Bond car.”
"Turns out the future does have flying cars."
Musk said the live audience mattered for a simple reason.
"We need an audience to prove that it’s not AI or SI. So, you guys can tell people that you saw it with your eyes. Because what you see with your eyes, you will not believe."
One demo sent the Roadster rocketing over a row of flashy Teslas parked side by side. The jump reached around 21 feet high. No official altitude figure has been locked in.
An unnamed guest reached straight for 1980s television. He compared the moment to Michael Knight hitting the turbo boost on K.I.T.T. in “Knight Rider.”
"Elon Musk just made Turbo Boost a reality. A bunch of guys my age have been waiting our whole lives for this."
Musk, the 55-year-old founder of SpaceX, said the car draws on SpaceX rocket technology. He was blunt about the empty cockpit during the show: he did not want a human driver so he would not “kill anyone.”
Claimed performance numbers match the spectacle. The car is billed at zero to 60 mph in 0.81 seconds and a 230 mph top speed.
Production is expected to start in 2028. No firm customer delivery date is set. A “performance” version takes a $50,000 deposit. The “Thrust” version, the one with acceleration thrusters, takes a $250,000 deposit.
Musk left the legal map open. He said he is “not necessarily sure it’s legal in all jurisdictions.” He still projected ownership.
"But there will be such a car that someone can own."
Private engineers keep pushing hardware that looks like science fiction while the rulebook stays fuzzy. The fiery tower crash stayed on the reel beside the clean leaps and landings. Musk showed both, then told the room the future already has flying cars, and that someone will get to drive one.
American builders still swing for the fences. Regulators can catch up later.
