Elon Musk: The new Roadster will be Tesla's fastest car - but you'll have to wait

Advertisement

Tesla Roadster

Scott Olson/Getty Images

The original Tesla Roadster

The Model S is one of the fastest cars out there - but it won't be Tesla's fastest for too long.

Advertisement

Tesla CEO Elon Musk said Tesla's next-generation Roadster will beat the Model S when it comes to speed on Twitter Friday. But we shouldn't expect another Roadster for a few more years, he said.

In February, the Model S beat a Porsche 911 Turbo S in a first-of-its-kind acceleration test. The Model S reached 30 mph .05 seconds ahead of the 911 and held a .2-second lead from 60 mph through 90 mph. All of this occurred while the car was operating in Tesla's "Easter egg" ludicrous mode.

Complimentary Tech Event
Transform talent with learning that works
Capability development is critical for businesses who want to push the envelope of innovation.Discover how business leaders are strategizing around building talent capabilities and empowering employee transformation.Know More

There have been reports that Tesla's new Roadster will launch in 2019, but an exact date hasn't been confirmed.

The Roadster is Tesla's flagship electric car. First released in 2008, the Roadster boasted a range of 245 miles and could accelerate to 60 mph in just 3.7 seconds. Its base price at the time was $98,000, according to Car and Driver.

Advertisement

But the Roadster wasn't without its problems. When it was first released, the car repeatedly broke down and got stuck in second gear. This is because the car used an "unsafe" chassis made by sports-car maker Lotus, Musk said in May 2016.

Tesla issued a design reboot within a year that improved the Roadster's performance and generated a profit for the automaker. Tesla sold more than 2,400 Roadsters across 30 countries, the company wrote on its webpage.

But it looks like the next Roadster could outshine Tesla's Model S.

NOW WATCH: Everything we know about the Tesla Model 3