Loosely related to the Lotus Elise from which it borrowed less than seven percent of parts, the Roadster Mk1 has been gaining value in the used car market. Case in point, Arizona-based Gruber Motor Company sold one for $190,000 a short while ago, only to break that record recently with an early example. VIN #013 with extremely low miles changed hands for a whopping $250,000.

Having covered only 840 miles (1,351 kilometers), the 2008 Roadster is a veritable time capsule and illustrates Tesla’s early and rather difficult days. Having a low production run and with even fewer cars still on the road after over 10 years, such a pristine example will probably only gain value in time. It’s especially true given the huge popularity of the brand, prompting more and more deep-pocketed people to grab Tesla’s very first EV. Consequently, increased demand drives up prices.

The car in question is a Signature One Hundred of which only 100 units were ever made. Back in the day, customers had to make an eye-watering $100,000 deposit to claim one. These cars came with a commemorative plaque inside the cabin, signed by Tesla’s principals and individualized for the buyer. In addition, the Roadster came bundled with a hardtop and all the available options, including a navigation system. To sweeten the deal, the company delivered the EV with a special Signature One Hundred trim package.

With a 0 to 60 mph sprint in four seconds, the original Tesla Roadster is still properly quick even by today’s standards. It was touted as having a 250-mile range on a single charge, which again, isn’t that bad for 2022. For example, the Mazda MX-30 has been rated by EPA at just 100 miles.

Source: Electrek

The post 2008 Tesla Roadster Sold For $250,000 Sets New Record appeared first on EVGLOBE - News on Electric Vehicles and Hybrids.

Where does that leave the second-generation Roadster? Well, it doesn’t seem to be ranking high on the list of priorities, which might explain the latest update to Tesla’s official website. Pricing information has been deleted, and by the looks of it, the Palo Alto EV manufacturer is no longer accepting reservations for the Founders Series. As you may recall, it carried a hefty price tag of $250,000.

Keep in mind the Roadster was originally unveiled back in 2017 with the promise of a market launch in 2020. It’s the end of 2021 and that hasn’t happened yet, and it’s unclear when the high-performance electric convertible will effectively go on sale. Those who want to get in line can fork out $50,000 for a reservation.

The technical specifications are still there and just as impressive as they were several years ago when the Roadster was revealed. It promises to hit 60 mph from a standstill in 1.9 seconds 0 to 100 mph in 4.2 seconds, and the quarter-mile in 8.8 seconds. Flat out, it’ll do over 250 mph (402 km/h). The all-wheel-drive electric sports car will seat four and cover 620 miles (nearly 1,000 kilometers) on a full charge.

Earlier this year, Elon Musk mentioned the Roadster “should ship” from 2023 provided “there’s no major drama.” The base model had a starting price of $200,000, with the Founders Series limited to 1,000 examples commanding a $50,000. There’s also the SpaceX package worth mentioning with its cold air thrusters for even greater performance off the line.

Source: Tesla; Photos Courtesy of Tesla, Inc.

The post Tesla Roadster pricing removed from website all of the sudden appeared first on EVGLOBE - News on Electric Vehicles and Hybrids.

While the standard version of the new Roadster is claimed to complete the job in 1.9 seconds, an optional SpaceX package is expected to shave off 0.8 seconds from the sprint time. A plaque mounted at the Petersen Automotive Museum where the electric sports car arrived this week includes that amazing acceleration time, which we’re frankly having a hard time believing.

So I guess it’s now kinda official that the Space X package Roadster does a 1.1 second 0-60mph 🤯🤯🤩. Wow @elonmusk #Tesla #SpaceX pic.twitter.com/s7AibLkDmm

— Zack (@BLKMDL3) May 20, 2021

Elon Musk has claimed the beefier configuration of the Roadster will be “part rocket” and that the high-performance EV will have a top speed of more than 250 mph. The information panel at the museum claims the SpaceX package will encompass rear-mounted cold air rocket thrusters to enable an acceleration performance “largely unprecedented among modern road cars.”

Unveiled towards the end of 2017 but delayed until 2022, the second iteration of Tesla’s Roadster costs $200,000 for the base model. The four-seater, all-wheel-drive EV is listed on the company’s site as having a quarter time of 8.8 seconds and 620 miles of range. It’s claimed to do 0-100 mph in 4.2 seconds and offer a whopping 10,000 Newton-meters of wheel torque.

These are without a shadow of a doubt some amazing specs, but bear in mind the electric performance machine is still very much in the engineering phase. Elon Musk has promised a drivable prototype will be ready by late summer, and if everything goes according to plan, the first customer deliveries will commence sometime next year.

Meanwhile, deliveries of another ultra-fast Tesla are about to start as the Model S Plaid will finally reach customers from June 3.

Source: Zack / Twitter

The post Tesla Roadster plaque at Petersen museum claims 0-60 mph in 1.1s appeared first on EVGLOBE - News on Electric Vehicles and Hybrids.

That being said, customer deliveries of the angular electric pickup will begin towards the end of the year only if Tesla gets lucky. These are the words used by the company’s head honcho during the conference call related to the Q4 2020 earnings. He specifically said only a “few deliveries” will take place before the end of 2021, and that’s in a best-case scenario.

When the Cybertruck was originally unveiled back in November 2019, Tesla said production would start in 2021. Even if the company will live up to that promise and begin to churn out vehicles, only a handful of early adopters will get their trucks before year’s end. Mass production is scheduled to start in 2022, so most people who have signed on the dotted line to claim one will have to patiently wait for Tesla to ramp up output.

As far as the other electric vehicle that Tesla has been working on for quite a while, the second-generation Roadster has been pushed back until 2022. Despite being revealed with much fanfare all the way back in November 2017, series production is not going to start towards the end of this year as originally promised.

In a response to a question someone asked on Twitter about the Roadster’s status, Elon Musk said the electric sports car is still in the engineering phase. If everything goes according to plan, a drivable prototype will be completed by the end of this summer, with series production programmed to begin in 2022. Knowing Tesla’s modus operandi, we would take this timetable with the proverbial pinch of salt…

[Images courtesy of Tesla Inc.] Source: Tesla, Elon Musk / Twitter

The post Tesla needs to get “lucky” to start Cybertruck deliveries in 2021, Roadster delayed to 2022 appeared first on EVGLOBE - News on Electric Vehicles and Hybrids.