Tesla’s resurrected Roadster to be fastest road car yet

TESLA has unveiled what could be the fastest-accelerating production car yet with its new-generation Roadster sportscar that can destroy the zero to 60mph (97km/h) sprint in just 1.9 seconds.

With 10,000Nm of torque driven through the wheels via three electric motors – one for each of the rear wheels and a single unit driving for the front axle – the new Roadster can also knock down the 100mph (161km/h) landmark from a standstill in 4.2s and complete the standing quarter mile in just 8.8s.

Tesla claims the all-electric Roadster sports a top speed in excess of 250mph (402km/h), while its floor-mounted 200kWh battery – twice the size of the maximum available on the Model S and Model X P100D – is good for nearly 1000km of driving range.

For comparison, the 8.0-litre quad-turbo W16 Bugatti Chiron can accelerate to 60mph in 2.4s, the 6.2-litre supercharged V8 Dodge Challenger SRT Demon will stop the clock at 2.3s and the 6.5-litre V12-powered Ferrari 812 Superfast will complete the sprint in 2.8s.

The Roadster’s Model S P100D stablemate, equipped with Ludicrous launch mode, is able to knock down 60 miles in 2.5s.

In a tweet, Tesla founder Elon Musk said the extraordinary acceleration capability will only be the tip of the iceberg in the brand’s new 2+2 convertible.

“Should clarify that this is the base model performance,” he said. “There will be a special option package that takes it to the next level.”

With a few years before the first road-ready Roadsters hit the market in 2020 however, it remains to be seen if Tesla can transplant the phenomenal performance potential into a production guise.

The Roadster revealed at Tesla’s event last week wore no side mirrors, a rectangular steering wheel and had some of its auxiliary electrical systems including G-meter readout disabled, alluding to its prototype status.

However, what is expected to make it into production is the Roadster’s portrait-orientated infotainment screen similar in layout to the Model S and Model X, the narrow dashboard-integrated speed readout, removable glass roof and sports bucket seats.

Penned by former Mazda and Volkswagen designer Franz von Holzhausen, the new Roadster is also expected to retain its sleek sportscar proportions when it enters production.

From the front, sleek headlights, a sculpted bonnet and subtle splitter characterise the Roadster, while the pumped-up wheelarches, prominent rear diffuser, slim tail-lights and short overhangs gift Tesla’s new vehicle a classic sportscar silhouette.

Attendees at the reveal event were able to place a deposit of $US50,000 ($A66,165) for a vehicle reservation, which also gave them access to a demonstration of the Roadster’s acceleration capabilities from the passenger seat.

Pricing for the Roadster kicks off at $US200,000 ($A264,660), with a limited-run of 1000 Founders Series edition vehicles available at $US250,000 ($A330,825).

Tesla’s foray into vehicle manufacturing was with the first-generation Roadster in 2008, which was built on the body of a Lotus Elise and featured a 53kWh lithium-ion battery for a 0-60mph acceleration time of 3.9s.