The Tesla Roadster put Tesla on the map as the premier all-electric automotive brand when it was released in 2008. Fans of the brand are eagerly awaiting the Roadster’s return in 2023, when it is set to become the fastest car in the world—with a quarter-mile time of 8.8 seconds—according to Tesla owner Elon Musk.
Originally slated to hit the market in 2020, the all-new Tesla Roadster is now expected to debut for the 2023 model year. A revamped version of the first-ever Tesla, the Roadster, according to test drive data, will be the first ever production supercar to break every performance record while still being able to comfortably seat four passengers.
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How fast can the Tesla Roadster drive a quarter mile?
The OG Tesla Roadster from 2008 could complete a quarter-mile sprint in 13.3 seconds, but the updated 2023 Roadster will leave its predecessor in the dust with a quarter-mile time of just 8.8 seconds.
Keep in mind that the reported 8.8-second quarter-mile time has been reported by publications like Car and Driver and by Tesla themselves. When it comes to actual on-track performance, however, the Roadster is likely to break that projected record when it's actually released.
That being said, at 8.8 seconds, the Roadster is faster than each and every one of its Tesla predecessors, including the Tesla Model S Plaid, whose 8.994-second quarter-mile time set the record for the fastest quarter-mile time ever driven in a production car in 2021.
The Roadster’s extreme speed is due in part to its engineering, which is designed to optimize and maximize the model’s aerodynamic qualities. While we are still in the dark as to what kind of electric powertrain system the Roadster will use, it’s likely that the model will borrow a tri-motor set-up from the Model S Plaid. If it does, we can assume the Roadster will similarly produce more than 1,000 horsepower.
Tesla reports that they plan on making the Roadster even faster with the inclusion of an optional SpaceX package. This “rocket tech”, as Elon Musk calls it, equips the model with cold air thrusters for even better performance. As to how much better the Roadster’s performance will become with SpaceX technology, only time will tell.
How much horsepower does the Tesla Roadster have?
Because we are still currently unaware of the exact powertrain setup the Roadster will have, we can’t accurately report on how much horsepower its electric motors will pack. That being said, since Tesla reports that the Roadster will outperform the Model S Plaid, we’d project that the Roadster will use a similar trimotor set-up. The Model S Plaid produces a whopping 1,020 horsepower and 1,050 lb-ft of torque, so expect the Roadster to produce the same, if not more.
What is the top speed of a Tesla Roadster?
As of yet, we are still unsure of exactly how fast the all-new Roadster will be, though Tesla projects that the model will reach maximum speeds of more than 250 mph. Time will tell if this proves to be true, but Musk was laughed at by critics when he said that the Model S Plaid would break 200 mph, and that model managed to record a top speed of 216 mph in June 2022, so we have high hopes for the Roadster.
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Can anything beat a Tesla Roadster?
Unfortunately for Tesla lovers—yes.
Even with its projected quarter-mile time of 8.8 seconds, the 2023 Tesla Roadster falls short of the record fastest production car—the Rimac Nevera—an all-electric speedster designed and developed by Croatia automaker Rimac Automobili.
This $2.27 million limited-production sports car recorded a quarter-mile time of 8.58 seconds. The Tesla Roadster is projected to cover the same distance in 8.8 seconds, but it's likely that drivers will be able to shave tenths of a second off that time by hacking the model and equipping it with Tesla's SpaceX package.
But so far, the Nevera is the only production car that can catch the Roadster. Check out the quarter-mile times of some of Tesla’s competitors:
Bugatti Chiron Super Sport: 9.1 seconds
Tesla Model S Plaid: 9.23 seconds
Bugatti Chiron Sport: 9.4 seconds
McLaren 765LT: 9.419 seconds
Ferrari SF90 Stradale: 9.5 seconds
Porsche 918 Spyder: 9.7 seconds
Tesla Model X Plaid: 9.75 seconds
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