Yes, it flew. Read the small print.

An electric sports car flipping through the air with SpaceX-developed thrusters deserves a moment.

Watt the?

Tesla’s redesigned Roadster demonstration used fans and compressed-gas thrusters to perform its aerial party tricks. Impressive engineering. Slightly excessive for finding a parking space.

But there are important distinctions.

Performance is the two-seat version now available to reserve in China. Tesla claims 0–96km/h in under 1.6 seconds. It doesn’t include the full flight system.

Thrust adds rear thrusters for still quicker acceleration.

Rocket is the invitation-only, single-seat configuration built for aerial antics. It has no public-road approval.

And that roughly US$50,000 Chinese reservation payment? A deposit. Tesla hasn’t announced the final price.

Production is targeted for 2028. The original second-generation Roadster was shown in 2017, with production once promised for 2020.

We applaud the ambition.

We’ll save the standing ovation for customer deliveries.

Image: Tesla.