Tesla’s Roadster reportedly drove upside down on a semicircular track at a Texas demonstration, using fan-generated downforce. With electric motors’ instant torque bringing even ordinary family cars close to 0–100 km/h in three seconds, Tesla has turned to aviation and space technology to set its supercar apart: artificial downforce and compressed-air rocket thrusters.
The account of the Roadster presentation attributes the upside-down run to careful aerodynamic engineering, not a film trick. A high-powered fan system built into the underside works with a precisely sealed floor to suck air from beneath the car. The resulting vacuum extends the principle behind Formula 1 suction cars, generating enough downforce, according to the source, to overcome the vehicle’s own weight and gravity. At the end of the demonstration, the car jumped into the air, completed one rotation and descended smoothly to the ground.
[IMAGE:raketa.hu]The maneuvers are made possible by cold-gas thrusters of the type used for satellite orbit corrections, rather than conventional rocket engines that burn rocket fuel and emit flames. According to the report, the system draws on SpaceX experience and uses compressed air stored at extremely high pressure as its propellant.
The advantage is that it doesn’t need hazardous fuel. The vehicle’s own compressors can replenish the system continuously while it’s moving. Ten nozzles hidden at strategic points around the body release precisely directed bursts of gas in fractions of a second, allowing the car both to stick to the road and to follow a stabilized trajectory in the air.
No matter how powerful a conventional sports car is, the grip between its tires and the asphalt ultimately limits how quickly it can launch or corner. If the tires slip, the source explains, the laws of physics put an end to acceleration.
Tesla uses active fans and multidirectional thrusters to get around that physical limit. Rather than relying solely on wheel grip, the Roadster uses direct mechanical pressure and thrust to assist cornering or deceleration. The source argues that these external forces allow cornering speeds on a closed circuit that rivals limited to mechanical grip couldn’t theoretically reach.
[IMAGE:raketa.hu]Manufacturer figures cited in the report put 0–60 mph acceleration at 0.81 seconds. The source describes the conventional 0–100 km/h sprint as guaranteed to take less than one second. To illustrate the performance, Tesla says the Roadster covers half a mile in the time other supercars need to complete a quarter-mile.
The initially stated top speed was 370 km/h. Elon Musk also mentioned Mach 0.5 as a theoretical target, approximately 617 km/h.
The new flagship won’t receive Tesla’s self-driving software, according to the report. Engineers deliberately designed the system for entirely human control, with direct feedback to the driver.
[IMAGE:raketa.hu]The second-generation model was originally announced in 2017, but the final version promised for 2028 reportedly barely resembles that prototype. Its body has become more distinctive and more supercar-like.
The headlights normally sit behind closed panels to reduce aerodynamic drag. Although the roadster name traditionally refers to an open-top, two-seat sports car, the roof is fully enclosed to provide the structural rigidity needed to withstand extreme forces. The doors open upward and forward.
Inside, the layout follows Tesla’s functional minimalism, with a distinctive angular steering wheel, a low seating position and a central display.
[IMAGE:raketa.hu]The propulsion technology will become available to buyers in stages. The entry-level Performance gets the floor-mounted fan suction system without thrusters. This version reaches 100 km/h from a standstill in 1.6 seconds and has a range exceeding 480 kilometers, according to the report.
The limited-production Thrust adds nozzles built into the rear of the car, allowing it to break the one-second acceleration barrier.
The flagship Rocket is available only by individual invitation. Its systems occupy even the space normally used by the passenger seat, and thrusters surround its single-seat cockpit. Its stated 0–100 km/h time is 0.6 seconds.
The report states that flight-like maneuvers are legally excluded from public-road use. It frames the technology’s demonstration purpose as showing how far automotive engineering can go when combined with rocket science.
