The Roadster Flew. My Cybertruck Did Not.

On October 15, 2026, Tesla showed the new Roadster to the world. I watched it live.

From inside my Cybertruck.

So I had a pretty good seat. Parked, but still a driver’s seat.

My mouth would not close.

Short answer: Tesla revealed the new Roadster on October 15, 2026, at a SpaceX test site near Waco, Texas. Elon Musk says production starts in 2028. Tesla hasn’t announced the car’s price. Reserving one costs $50,000 for the Performance version or $250,000 for Thrust, and the Rocket version, the one that flies, is invite only. Tesla says the thruster versions go 0 to 60 mph in under a second.

Can the new Tesla Roadster really fly?

The event was at a SpaceX test site near Waco, Texas.

The Roadster drove up a curved ramp until it was upside down. It stayed there, held on by a fan suction system, the way a fly sits on a ceiling.

Then it launched off the ramp, rolled in the air with cold-gas thrusters, and landed on its wheels.

Later, it jumped over a row of Teslas. One of them was a Cybertruck.

I was sitting in a Cybertruck. I took that a little personally.

To be fair, it wasn’t real flying. Fortune called them “only brief aerial maneuvers, not sustained flight.” And no human was inside during the jumps. But still. A car jumped over a truck, on purpose, on a livestream.

Tesla plus SpaceX. To me, that’s the strongest team in the universe.

The numbers, then and now

Here’s the part I enjoyed doing the math on.

How fast is the new Roadster?

The new Roadster comes in three versions. Tesla says the ones with thrusters go 0 to 60 in under a second. The top one, Rocket, is invite only, and Tesla’s own page says it is “not approved for public road use.”

How much is the new Tesla Roadster?

To reserve the Thrust version, you pay $250,000. That’s the reservation. Not the car. Tesla hasn’t announced the price of the car yet.

Now go back to November 2017. That’s when Tesla first showed the second-generation Roadster, as a surprise at the end of its Semi truck event. The base price was $200,000. The Founders Series cost $250,000, the whole car, paid up front.

So in 2017, $250,000 paid for a whole Founders Series Roadster. Those buyers are still waiting. In 2026, it buys you a place in line.

When is the Tesla Roadster coming out?

That Roadster was promised for 2020. The new target is 2028. Elon Musk said it on stage: “We enter production in 2028.“

Related: Why I dream of an all-electric home

My truck

Mine is a 2024 Foundation Series Cybertruck.

I bought it during a promotion where Tesla gave free Supercharging for as long as you own the truck. If I keep it for the rest of my life, that’s free charging for life. My life.

So when the Roadster flipped through the air, I thought it was amazing. But I wasn’t jealous. My truck and I charge for free.

What do I like most about it? Two things.

First, it’s tough.

Second, FSD. These days I barely drive. It still has clumsy moments. Sometimes it lacks a little common sense. But it has gotten so much better. On the highway, it’s really comfortable.

Still, I was a driver in the army. Satisfying me behind the wheel won’t be easy. FSD still has a high bar to clear.

What people do when it drives by

Kids look at my truck like it’s a superhero.

Adults are mixed. Sometimes one gives me the middle finger.

I laugh it off. I think they’ll understand with time. When things change too fast, there are always side effects.

So, would I buy one?

Here’s the twist. I said I wasn’t jealous. I meant it.

But the moment the livestream ended, the first thing out of my mouth was, “I want to buy it.”

If I had enough money, of course I would. For now, I’ll keep my truck and my free charging, and keep watching the future fly over it.