# Tesla's flying Roadster is pure spectacle

> Elon Musk's jaw-dropping stunt in Texas won't result in a car you can actually buy or fly.
- Title: Tesla's flying Roadster is pure spectacle · The Verge
- Summary: Elon Musk's jaw-dropping stunt in Texas won't result in a car you can actually buy or fly. Tesla demonstrated a flying Roadster in Waco, Texas, but the…
- Keywords: tesla, elon musk, roadster, flying car, waco texas, spacex, electric vehicles, technology, culture, Tesla's, flying, pure
- Source: The Verge — https://theverge.com/transportation/1012783/tesla-roadster-flying-stunt-production-reality-musk
- Author: Andrew J. Hawkins
- Published: 2026-10-16T14:15:29+00:00
- Read time: 1 min
- Topics: tesla, elon musk, roadster, flying car, waco texas, spacex, electric vehicles, technology, culture
## Roadster takes flight in Texas
Last night in Waco, Texas, Elon Musk demonstrated a Tesla Roadster that drove vertically up a ramp, launched into the air, executed a mid-air kickflip over other Teslas, and landed using cold-gas thrusters.
## The stunt was genuinely impressive
The car was equipped with six hundred litres of compressed air, ten directional cold-gas thruster nozzles, and a two G suction-fan system directly inspired by SpaceX.
## But it won't be a real product
Tesla says the Rocket configuration will be invite only.The company admits it won't be approved for public road use.
## Tesla skipped the commercial details
The company provided no pricing or battery range specs.The Roadster's range estimate was downgraded from six hundred miles to three hundred miles.
## Musk calls it a small project
Musk acknowledged the Roadster is a small potato project that won't move the needle financially compared to mass-market models like the Model Y.

> the last best driver's car
## Competitors already have similar tricks
Tesla has been lapped several times in the electric hypercar market.BYD's Yangwang U nine Extreme produces three thousand horsepower for a top speed of three hundred eight miles per hour.
## The stunt was a PR victory
If the goal was to score a PR victory, dominate social media feeds, and cement Tesla's brand as a frontier tech pioneer, the Roadster demo succeeded.
## Spectacle, not a viable product
The flying Roadster is completely useless as a viable product. But as a thirty-minute flex of engineering muscle, it was truly a sight to behold.

> It's completely useless as a viable product. But as a 30-minute flex of engineering muscle, it was truly a sight to behold.
## Key takeaway

Tesla demonstrated a flying Roadster in Waco, Texas, but the company admits the rocket-equipped version won't be approved for public road use and remains years from production.