So, Motor Trend recently got to drive a Tesla Roadster....

An excerpt....

I check the mirrors again. Still no traffic. I'm almost grimacing as I release the brake and pound the accelerator to the floor. Whrrrrrrr...30 mph, 40 mph, 50...in the four seconds it's taken to read this sentence, the Roadster has shrieked to 60 mph (Tesla's claimed 3.9 seconds would seem entirely plausible in a controlled setting). There's no wheelspin, axle tramp, shutter, jutter, smoke whiff, cowl shake, nothing. I'm being eerily teleported down the barrel of a rail gun, head pulled back by a hard, steady acceleration. Bizarre. And before too long, profoundly humbling to just about any rumbling Ferrari or Porsche that makes the mistake of pulling up next to a silent, 105-mpg Tesla Roadster at a stoplight.

Click here for the eerily silent video. (there's a short commercial pre-vid)

2008 Tesla Roadster
Base Price $98,950

Vehicle Layout..... Mid-motor, RWD, 2-pass, 2-door roadster

Motor..... AC synchronous, 248-hp/211-lb-ft

Transmission..... 2-speed manual

Curb Weight..... 2690 lb

Wheelbase..... 92.6 in

Length x Width x Height..... 155.4 x 67.8 x 44.4 in

0-60 mph..... 4.0 sec

Fuel Economy..... 105 mpg gas equivalent

Range, Combined..... 220 miles

Recharge Time..... 3.5 hrs @ 220 volts/70 amps

On Sale In U.S...... Currently/delivery in 2008


Tesla Motors