I drove Route 130 in a rental, completely useless because there were cops every mile or so. I did however have an Audi on the Autobahn and that was much more entertaining!
If anything a P90DL and quicker Model S makes more sense saving a bit of dosh. The Roadster is in a different albeit less practical segment. Styling, exclusivity, top tier of performance. I feel like there’s going to be a bunch of Plaid’s on the used market when the Roadsters come out!
This is the smart practical option and will probably be the route I go down in a couple years! For now, at 25 I’m happy with a M3 LR. I do still miss the Miata/MX-5) I drove prior but the gf doesn’t like sitting on what’s effectively a skateboard.
Don't forget that for some of us we have a referral discount for the Roadster. I have a 42% discount so that is a big help...
You had to have a certain number of people that used your referral number and then you would be 2% per referral. Some people actually got 100% value and a few even earned 2 roadsters! Lots of exposure and promoting to get that. The referral program for the Roadster is over.
Specs on the Tesla website show the Roadster has 4 seats. Not two. Do you estimate the 4 seat Roadster 2020+ will disqualify this vehicle from being a "sports car" by purists? I had a friend who joked around with me about this being a 4 seat roadster and he said, "You going to put grandma in the back?!?" hahaha... I didn't know what to tell him. He has a point!
He does not have a point. Ask him if he considers the Porsche 911 to be a true sports car. If he had said the car isn't really a roadster then that would be true. The car is technically a targa.
Personally I couldn't care less if people call the roadster a supercar or not. They can call it a lemon if they want, that doesn't change the fact that I'll be able to do 0-60 in 1.9 seconds or do 250+ mph if I had the balls to do it (I don't). Plus, it will destroy any $1+million hypercar.
In the 50's Chrysler was experimenting with intercooled high pressure air as an air conditioner. In the early days Freon was a problem. An on board compressor would pressurize the air to 3,000 psi, scuba tank psi, intercool it and then expand in the AC ducting. Problem was it came out above the speed of sound and made a horribly loud noise, like cracking open an O2 welding bottle. Another use popped up as a supercharger! High pressure cold air would be forced through a venturi to convert a small stream of high pressure air into a big stream of cold lower pressure air into the carb and supercharge the engine! No parasitic power loss from supercharger or turbo restriction. Could use a tiny pump and storage tank for brief bursts of power.
Answering the original question, no one needs any of this. It's all about want. I owned a Honda S2000 for more than ten years, when an Accord would have been WAY more practical, cheaper, and provided pretty great driving feel. But I wanted the S2000. That said, I also don't want a Tesla Roadster v2 (I mean ... I DO, but I'm not going to pay for something like that). I'd like something far more achievable, with a folding hardtop. Something along the lines of an S2000 or Z4, or even the original Tesla Roadster, but push button open top fun.
This is why you "need" a Roadster when you can have a Plaid Model S. [emphasis on second tweet] FWIW My dream car, before I got into Tesla, was always the McLaren F1. I've been lucky enough to start one up, and go in a very very illegal drive in another. A friend of mine has 2. TWO. lol The model cars that sit near my desk are the F1LM and "2020" Roadster. Elon had and fully appreciates how excellent the McLaren F1 truly is. He will not release the Roadster until it's better.
Adding to the post above. This is the car. it's THE car. The Roadster will be better. McLaren F1 Is Still the Definition of the Perfect Supercar
What's the biggest difference between a MSP and a Roadster? The former is 2500 pound battery underneath a 2500 pound car whereas the later is a 2500 pound battery sitting under a 1000 pound car.
I was debating between getting the Roadster 2 vs Model S Plaid. Having now seen the Model S refresh, unless the Plaid body is going to be different, will probably go with the Roadster simply for the unique styling. Also interested to see what Roadster performance numbers will be, given that Plaid+ 0-60 is going to be < 1.99 seconds. Roadster launch is going to feel like being shot out of a cannon!