It’ll be interesting - and that’s underselling it just a tad - to see what happens with the evolution and progress of Tesla given Elon Musk’s new role in the US Department of Government Efficiency. That fact certainly seems no stranger yet, even if the impact will inevitably soften with time. Whether the speculation around government contracts for Tesla and SpaceX becomes reality isn’t yet clear; but if the role of Tesla in Musk’s empire does change, it’ll surely push development and expansion of the car line-up down the list of priorities.
Which would be great news for those competitors still trying to catch up, if less appealing for those who might fancy a new Model S after a dozen years of the first one. Or, of course, the many people who wanted a second generation of Roadster, first previewed all the way back in 2017. It was a familiar Tesla model launch, with wild claims and bold promises; in being little different to before, we expected the car to follow not soon after. And yet there’s still no sign. Arguably it looks less likely than ever to happen, given what’s happened in US politics in the past few weeks and Musk’s recent admission it isn’t a huge priority any longer. But let’s see - a Cybertruck happened, for crying out loud, so Tesla can probably get anything it wants to production if keen enough.
We’re still not holding out a huge amount of hope for now, however, which is a shame as the EV world surely needs more cars like the Roadster - and fewer like the Cybertruck. If up at supercar money, the Roadster seemed like it might show that EVs could be properly fun as sports cars - and not weigh three tonnes. As it’s happened, it seems more likely that we’ll see battery-powered Porsche 718s before the next Roadster, and that definitely didn’t seem the case half a dozen years ago. The uncertainty around the next one, and what has felt like a very slow trickle of genuinely fun EVs, has made the original Roadster look all the more innovative. When electric cars were considered a joke by many, here was a two-seat, two-door sports car that was fast, drove well, and - by the standards of the era - had a decent enough range. A decade and a half later, it looks like more of an achievement than the late '00s, even allowing for the progress made since then.
Which might help explain why secondhand values are so strong - what was dismissed as an Elise with batteries stuffed in was a trailblazer. There are three currently for sale on PH, all with six-figure asking prices. This one is notable as a right-hand drive Signature Sport, the more powerful and driver focused variant that followed later in the Roadster’s life. It got a bit more power, adjustable coilovers and an AP Racing brake setup; as number #222 of 250 made, moreover, it’s one of the last.
It has been used as well, clocking up almost 50,000 miles since 2010 with one owner who bought it new in Knightsbridge. The ad suggests it’s still in excellent condition, with an extensive service history and a recent overhaul ‘providing further evidence of the care and maintenance programme’. All very encouraging. The sort of person who bought a Roadster Sport in 2010 won’t have done so by chance, so you’d like to think they would have obsessed over caring for their rare groove sports car.
Now owning a Tesla Roadster will cost almost £150,000, more even than the original purchase price with inflation factored in. And it’ll still be a tad tricky to charge. But then the last car we wrote about two years ago, newer and with fewer miles, was offered at more than £200k; it does seem like these prices are here to stay. So if Roadsters aren’t really depreciating, perhaps now is the time to satisfy any lingering curiosity. If it keeps its value, the money could maybe go to a new one - when it happens…
SPECIFICATION | TESLA ROADSTER SPORT
Engine: Single electric motor, 53kWh lithium-ion battery
Transmission: Single-speed automatic, rear-wheel drive
Power (hp): 288
Torque (lb ft): 295
MPG: N/A
CO2: 0g/km (local emissions)
Year registered: 2010
Recorded mileage: 46,000
Price new: c. £90k
Yours for: £145,000
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