Tesla Roadster Revealed: Does Its Flying-Car Stunt Work?
Tesla’s new Roadster used suction technology and SpaceX-derived thrusters to jump and flip—but production, price and road legality remain unresolved.
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Tesla has finally revealed its radically redesigned Roadster—and delivered the airborne spectacle Elon Musk has been promising for years.
Unveiled at a SpaceX testing facility near Waco, Texas, the new electric supercar drove onto a steeply curved ramp, used a suction system to cling to its underside and launched into the air. Cold-gas thrusters stabilised the vehicle as it rotated and returned to the ground.
In another demonstration, the Roadster cleared a line of Tesla vehicles that included a Semi, Cybertruck, Cybercab, Model Y and Model 3.
It was an extraordinary stunt. Whether it proved Tesla has created a genuine flying car is another matter.
The vehicle did not demonstrate sustained, controlled flight of the kind associated with an aircraft or electric vertical take-off and landing vehicle. Its thrusters instead produced brief powered leaps, rotation and landing control.
“We’re not talking about sustained flight,” Smithsonian National Air and Space Museum curator Roger Connor told CNN. “We are literally talking about hopping.”
How does it work?
Tesla has outlined three intended Roadster configurations.
The two-seat Performance model is the comparatively conventional version, although little about it sounds ordinary. It uses active aerodynamics and what Tesla calls a multi-mode suction system to increase downforce and allow the car to adhere to steep or inverted surfaces.
The two-seat Thrust adds rear-mounted cold-gas thrusters, designed to deliver acceleration from zero to 60mph—approximately 97km/h—in less than one second.
At the top is the single-seat Rocket, equipped with 10 thrusters positioned around the vehicle. This is the version intended to perform the airborne manoeuvres demonstrated in Texas.
Tesla engineering vice-president Lars Moravy said the system uses approximately 600 litres of compressed air. Carbon-fibre-wrapped pressure vessels occupy available spaces throughout the car, supplying the thrusters used for acceleration, lift and directional control.
The technology is more closely related to a rocket reaction-control system than a conventional flying-car powertrain. Rather than producing continuous lift through wings or propellers, it releases highly pressurised gas to generate short bursts of thrust.
Tesla says all three versions will offer approximately 300 miles—or 483 kilometres—of driving range and a top speed exceeding 230mph, equivalent to about 370km/h.
These remain company claims rather than independently verified production specifications.
Can buyers order one?
Reservations have reopened in selected markets. According to reporting from the launch, Tesla is seeking US$50,000 to reserve the Performance variant and US$250,000 for the Thrust. Access to the Rocket is described as invitation-only.
No final purchase price was announced, and Tesla has not confirmed Australian pricing, delivery timing or regulatory approval.
Musk said production would begin in 2028. That should be treated as an ambition rather than a settled delivery date.
The second-generation Roadster was originally unveiled in 2017 and was expected to reach customers within several years. The program was subsequently delayed in 2020, 2021, 2023 and 2024. Some customers have consequently held substantial reservations for close to a decade.
There are also formidable regulatory questions. A road-registered vehicle capable of deliberately leaving the ground, rotating and landing among other traffic does not fit neatly within existing vehicle standards. Its compressed-air system, pressure vessels and unconventional manoeuvres would require extensive safety assessment.
The more plausible outcome is that Tesla produces the Performance and perhaps Thrust versions for road and track use, while tightly restricting the Rocket’s airborne functions—or reserving them for controlled environments.
Tesla has produced a genuine moving prototype capable of remarkable stunts. It has not yet demonstrated that customers will be permitted to repeat them on public roads.
For now, the Roadster is real enough to jump. Whether it becomes a car people can buy, register and use as demonstrated remains the more consequential test.
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Buyers of Aston Martin’s 1,079PS Valhalla can commission one of two bespoke Breitling Super Chronomat watches, with colours and personalised details inspired by their individual car.
The relationship between cars and watches has produced countless branded chronographs, racing editions and logo-bearing collaborations. Breitling and Aston Martin are taking a more personal route with a new watch program reserved exclusively for owners of the Valhalla supercar.
Rather than offering every customer the same limited-edition watch, Breitling is opening part of its Super Chronomat design process to Valhalla owners. A dedicated configurator will allow each buyer to commission a timepiece inspired by the specification of their car and their individual tastes.
Two Super Chronomat models are available: a technically ambitious 44mm perpetual-calendar chronograph and a more compact 38mm automatic watch.
The flagship is the Super Chronomat B19 44 Perpetual Calendar Chronograph. Presented in a 44mm titanium case with Breitling’s distinctive Rouleaux bracelet, it combines a carbon-fibre dial with one of mechanical watchmaking’s most sophisticated complications.
Its automatic perpetual calendar accounts for months of different lengths, leap years and the phases of the moon. Provided it continues running, the calendar will not require manual correction until 2100—the next centurial year that will not be recognised as a leap year.
The B19 movement also provides a 96-hour power reserve, allowing the watch to be left unworn for four days without stopping. A display caseback exposes the movement and black rotor.
Valhalla owners can customise the colour of the inner bezel, seconds hand and chronograph counter hands. The rotor can also be engraved, creating a more permanent connection between the watch and its owner.
The second option, the Super Chronomat Automatic 38, offers a less complicated and more restrained interpretation.
Its 38mm stainless-steel case is paired with a textured carbon-fibre dial, a titanium crown and a diamond-set bezel. The automatic three-hand display incorporates a date window at six o’clock, while customisation extends to the colours used for the inner bezel and hands, together with a personalised caseback engraving.
The combination of carbon fibre and diamonds might appear contradictory, but it captures the dual character of the Valhalla: a car built around highly technical performance that remains unmistakably positioned as a luxury object.
The watch program draws directly from Aston Martin’s first series-production, mid-engined plug-in hybrid supercar.
Valhalla combines a 4.0-litre twin-turbocharged V8 with three electric motors to produce 1,079PS. Aston Martin claims it can accelerate from zero to 62mph—approximately 100km/h—in 2.5 seconds and reach 217mph, or about 349km/h.
Production is limited to 999 examples worldwide.
Formula One-derived technology and aerodynamic development have played central roles in the car’s engineering, but customisation is equally important to its ownership proposition. Breitling’s configurator extends that process from the Aston Martin specification studio to the wrist.
Each car will be produced at Aston Martin’s headquarters in Gaydon, England, while the watches will be made at Breitling’s Chronometrie in La Chaux-de-Fonds, Switzerland.
The program also reflects a broader change in the luxury market. Exclusivity is increasingly being defined by access rather than the simple production of another numbered edition. These watches cannot be purchased merely by joining a waiting list or paying a premium on the secondary market; the commission begins with ownership of the corresponding car.
That restriction gives the project greater authenticity than a conventional co-branded release. The strongest configurations should be those that use colour and engraving to create a subtle relationship with a particular Valhalla, rather than attempting to reproduce the car too literally.
For Valhalla buyers, the choice ultimately comes down to two very different expressions of the same idea. The 44mm B19 is the serious collector’s proposition, built around a rare combination of perpetual calendar and chronograph. The Automatic 38 is simpler, smaller and likely more versatile as an everyday watch.
Both turn the usual automotive-watch collaboration into something more individual: a timepiece configured alongside one of Aston Martin’s most significant new cars.
Watch summary
Program: Bespoke Breitling Super Chronomat watches for Aston Martin Valhalla owners
Available models: Super Chronomat B19 44 Perpetual Calendar Chronograph and Super Chronomat Automatic 38
B19 case: 44mm titanium
B19 power reserve: Approximately 96 hours
B19 complication: Automatic perpetual calendar chronograph
Automatic 38 case: 38mm stainless steel
Shared design element: Textured carbon-fibre dial
Customisation: Selected colours and personalised engraving
Availability: Exclusively for Aston Martin Valhalla owners
Valhalla production: Limited to 999 cars worldwide
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