Tesla 'Flying' Roadster Demo May Debut This Month — No One Inside

According to a recent report from The Information, Tesla is expected to hold the first public demonstration of its new Roadster at SpaceX's rocket test facility in McGregor, Texas, this month — the most eye-catching segment being a 'levitation' display powered by cold-gas thrusters developed by SpaceX.

However, the demonstration will be strictly unmanned: the vehicle will be remotely operated by Farizon throughout, and spectators must remain hundreds of yards away. This precaution stems from the propulsion system's extremely high noise levels — sufficient to cause hearing damage. It remains unclear whether Tesla will livestream the event or release only an edited video afterward.

Notably, this demonstration plan has been significantly scaled back. An earlier internal concept envisioned the Roadster accelerating along a magnetic track, driving upside-down, autonomously righting itself, and then hovering — this version was previewed for Elon Musk but later postponed and progressively pared down. According to insiders: "We were essentially building an aircraft at first; in the end, we settled on something much closer to simple 'levitation.'"

The report also reveals the Roadster's multi-year development trajectory. In 2022, Tesla's design team pursued two parallel approaches: one stretched from the Model S Plaid platform; the other started from scratch, using an ultra-lightweight carbon-fiber monocoque structure. Musk ultimately selected the latter — and instructed the team to "get it right, or don't do it at all." This decision fully abandoned reuse of existing architecture and marked Tesla's formal pivot toward true supercar-grade engineering. To support this effort, the company even recruited senior engineers from Italy — including Stefan Nothdurfter, former body engineering lead at Lamborghini.

Exterior design underwent multiple iterations: initially inspired by the Lamborghini Countach, then shifting toward Lockheed's SR-71 'Blackbird' reconnaissance jet — its internal codename, 'A71,' derives directly from that aircraft. By 2025, the styling had matured, integrating early motifs, and a drivable two-seat prototype (featuring butterfly doors) was completed late last year. Chief Designer Franz von Holzhausen stated last week that the Roadster is "coming soon."

It bears emphasis that the limited-edition model featured in this demonstration is not a production vehicle: it lacks street-legal certification and is expected to cost hundreds of thousands — or even over a million — U.S. dollars. Internally, Tesla has discussed emulating Ferrari's XX project, offering the car exclusively to a select group of superfans, with mandatory professional-track operation under supervision. Another proposal considered removing the passenger seat and installing thrusters — but under the current design, no one can drive the vehicle while the thrusters are active. Noise remains a hard constraint.

Meanwhile, customers who paid the $50,000 standard or $250,000 Founder's Edition reservation fee back in 2017 are still awaiting delivery. The project's target launch date has been delayed at least eight times. Musk himself joked about these "long-suffering" reservation holders during a recent shareholder meeting. In May this year, Tesla filed several new Roadster trademark applications — marking the most tangible public sign of progress observers have seen recently.