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Will Tesla's Roadster be the world's fastest car? Elon Musk promises unbelievable acceleration

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Tesla is promising its new Roadster will be ridiculously fast
Andrew Chesterton
Contributing Journalist
1 Jul 2019
2 min read

Tesla boss Elon Musk has made one of his patented bold claims about the incoming Roadster, promising his electric sports car will be able to clip 60mph (96.5km/h) in just 2.1 seconds. 

That's very, very fast. For reference, the Porsche 918 Spyder claims a 2.2 second sprint, while the Ferrari LaFerrari has been clocked at 2.4 seconds. 

It means the Tesla Roadster will have them both beat. And what's more, Musk is promising that the eyebrow-peeling speed will be on offer from even the base-model cars.

The claim, made on Twitter, actually attracted some criticism, with other users quick to point out that Musk had previously promised it would be even faster. 

Read More: Tesla Roadster claimed to be fastest production car ever in 2020

When announcing the car back in 2017, Musk said it would be capable of a sprint to 60mph in 1.9secs. It would push on, he said, to 161km/h in just 4.2 seconds, on its way to a seemingly impossible top speed of 402km/h.

But the Tesla boss had an answer for the revised figures, saying the new time was before adding Space X-inspired (and still rather mysterious) "rocket thruster" option.

Read More: Tesla Roadster 2020 will offer "crazy" SpaceX performance pack

"(The) 2.1 sec 0-60 mph is base model before adding rocket thruster option," Musk wrote on Twitter. 

The Roadster, which is expected to go on sale in 2020, is tipped to start from around US$200,000. Musk has previously taken to Twitter with some other bold claims about his second-generation Tesla Roadster, promising the 2020 EV will deliver "above 1000kms" in range.

Can the Tesla Roadster live up the hype? Tell us in the comments below.

Andrew Chesterton
Contributing Journalist
Andrew Chesterton should probably hate cars. From his hail-damaged Camira that looked like it had spent a hard life parked at the end of Tiger Woods' personal driving range, to the Nissan Pulsar Reebok that shook like it was possessed by a particularly mean-spirited demon every time he dared push past 40km/h, his personal car history isn't exactly littered with gold. But that seemingly endless procession of rust-savaged hate machines taught him something even more important; that cars are more than a collection of nuts, bolts and petrol. They're your ticket to freedom, a way to unlock incredible experiences, rolling invitations to incredible adventures. They have soul. And so, somehow, the car bug still bit. And it bit hard. When "Chesto" started his journalism career with News Ltd's Sunday and Daily Telegraph newspapers, he covered just about everything, from business to real estate, courts to crime, before settling into state political reporting at NSW Parliament House. But the automotive world's siren song soon sounded again, and he begged anyone who would listen for the opportunity to write about cars. Eventually they listened, and his career since has seen him filing car news, reviews and features for TopGear, Wheels, Motor and, of course, CarsGuide, as well as many, many others. More than a decade later, and the car bug is yet to relinquish its toothy grip. And if you ask Chesto, he thinks it never will.
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