Elon Musk unveils Tesla’s flying sports car: ‘REAL LIFE, BABY’

The hover sportscar, which has been in development for years, was revealed at a Texas test facility belonging to SpaceX

Published Oct 16, 2026  •  Last updated 6 minutes ago  •  2 minute read

Tesla Roadster landing. Photo by Tesla /X

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Elon Musk revealed Tesla’s latest creation — a car that can fly.

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Technically, it doesn’t fly, per se, but the Tesla Roadster can drive upside down and flip through the air, according to video posted on X on Thursday.

Musk, 55, said the vehicle uses 10 nozzles and “ultra-high-pressure air tanks” to launch itself and accelerate quickly on the ground before built-in, rocket-like thrusters allow for it to safely land, CNN reported.

There was no driver, with the Tesla CEO explaining that it was “to make sure we don’t kill anyone,” according to the outlet.

The hover sportscar, which has been in development for years, was revealed at a Texas test facility belonging to SpaceX.

‘Flying cars are real’

The tech mogul called the technology “the result of what happens when you have a collaboration with the world’s best car company and the world’s best rocket company,” per CNN.

“Success is not guaranteed. I mean that,” Musk acknowledged ahead of the demonstration. “It’ll probably work, but if it doesn’t work, we’re at a safe distance. And excitement is 100% guaranteed.”

During the event, Musk noted that “flying cars are real,” per The Independent, after the demonstration passed with flying colours, with the billionaire joking to Tesla’s vice president of vehicle engineering Lars Moravy and chief designer Franz von Wolzhausen, “Well, it worked.”

The Roadster began at the bottom of a curved ramp before it drove up, turned upside down, and launched into the air.

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“We have a fan suction system on the bottom of the car that can pull up to 2Gs (twice the force of gravity) in order to make the car upside down,” Moravy said, explaining the function. “Then we borrowed some technology from SpaceX to do the rest.”

He added: “This car really sucks. This car could suck the chrome off a trailer hitch. It could suck a tennis ball through a hose pipe.”

Musk told the crowd that he needed “an audience to prove that it’s not AI or SI,” and vowed the vehicle would go into production in 2028.

“You guys can tell people you saw it with your eyes,” he added.

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Safe for roads?

Now, whether the car ever becomes street legal is another story.

The Roadster — which comes 18 years after the original Roadster, Tesla’s first EV, hit the market — has a battery range of at least 300 miles, and can reach a top speed of up to 230 mph — though Musk suggested the car could exceed that.

But even he admitted it might not be legal everywhere.

“This will be an actual car that’s on the roads,” he insisted. “I’m not sure it’s necessarily legal in all jurisdictions, but there will be such a car that someone can own,” he explained, according to The Independent.

“Depends on your street, but it’ll be a viable car,” Musk added. “So, it’s going to be pretty wild that you can have a rocket car.”

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