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Next Tesla Roadster Might do 0-60 MPH in Under Two Seconds

With so many Model S and an ever-growing number of Model X around, it's easy to forget that there was a tiny Roadster based on a Lotus Elise that started everything for Tesla.
Tesla Roadster 2 rendering 1 photo
Photo: Jan Peisert
Musk had to start from somewhere, but he was clever enough to realize it's difficult and risky to build a car from scratch, so he opted for a simpler drivetrain swap. He also knew that a sports car would create a lot more buzz than an ordinary hatchback, for instance, so his choice was the lightweight Lotus Elise.

We probably all remember the first time we saw a Tesla Roadster on the road, and that's because our minds were conflicted: there was a sports car that went pretty fast, but didn't make any noise. It was almost like watching life on mute.

Nine years later and Tesla is getting ready to launch its third car, the Model 3, which is also the one supposed to bring the EV manufacturer into the mass-market. But while most people are excited about the prospect of owning their own brand-new Tesla for just $35,000, others are already thinking about the next thing. Actually, the next next thing.

Tesla's plans for the future do include a new Roadster, but it will only come after the Model Y crossover, and maybe even after the promised electric pickup. Yet that didn't stop Sam Sheffer from to pop a question for Elon Musk regarding the second-gen Roadster.

Like so many of us, Sam was curious to know whether the new Roadster would manage to complete the 0-60 mph (0-97 km/h) sprint in under two seconds. That kind of figures would normally seem absurd, but after the Model S P100D set such a high benchmark, the sporty looks of the Roadster would have to be backed by something.

Elon Musk didn't outright confirm it, but he didn't say no either. "That would [make] an interesting target," his Twitter reply read. "Would, of course, only count if capable of doing so right off the production line with street legal tires," he continued.

After the Ludicrous mode was introduced on the Model S, Musk confirmed he is reserving the Maximum Plaid mode (all Star Balls references, in case these names don't make any sense to you) for the next Roadster. Earlier this year, he also announced that the new sports car is still "years away," so there's still a long time to wait until we get to experience tartan acceleration.
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About the author: Vlad Mitrache
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"Boy meets car, boy loves car, boy gets journalism degree and starts job writing and editing at a car magazine" - 5/5. (Vlad Mitrache if he was a movie)
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