Tesla Sports Cars

The second-generation Tesla Roadster, which is supposed to hit the market by 2020, is still nowhere to be seen. It’s nearly the end of 2021, and Tesla apparently has removed pricing information on its website, along with stopping reservations for the Founders Series.

With the pandemic still looming over our heads, 2021 was a pretty action-packed year for the auto industry. Sure, you had challenges, with automakers having to contend with issues like chip shortages, causing delays to consumers. But regardless, the show had to go on and we got some pretty cool cars making their debut, predominantly towards the latter half of 2021.

Let’s get one thing out of the way, 2021 really was also the year, when the market as a whole began to embrace EV’s and you could see several automakers both the legacy as well as EV startups bring several new models to market. Having said that, we did see some pretty cool ICE cars, also make their debut. Now there were several cars that made headlines this year, it was very difficult to pick out the best ones, but the cars on this list definitely stood out. Here’s our list of some of the most highly anticipated and important cars that were unveiled in 2021.

There is no dearth of electric cars in the market now. We aren’t just talking about the urban commuters, but also fast electric cars. There are many new automakers that start their electric car journey with fast cars or electric supercars. Companies like Estrema, Aspark, and even Tesla, for that matter, came up with fast electric sports cars or electric supercars. While some have faded into oblivion after showing us promising concepts, some have weathered the storm and are either into production or will enter production.

Here’s a list of the eight fastest electric cars in the world today that are in the production stage or about to enter production. Some of these fast cars are from mainstream automakers, some from established EVmakers, and some from new start-ups.

Hoonigan’s YouTube channel returns with another “Hoonicorn versus the world” episode and this time it’s all on the line because the mighty Hoonicorn goes up against a Tesla Model S Plaid – the bane of many high-performance, combustion-powered vehicles. So far the Lia Block – Ken Block’s, 14-year old daughter - has been crushing it, losing only to a 2,000 horsepower Nissan GT-R. Will Tesla take another scalp or will the Hoonicorn finally put it in its place?

Accler8, recently pitted a Tesla Model S Plaid against a C8 Corvette. Yes, yes, the Plaid has been mega at the drag strip ever since it went on sale earlier this year. So, with less than 500 horses in the C8 to 1000 in the Plaid, was this even fair? Well, there’s a twist to this one. Let’s see how this pans out.

German tuning studio Manhart is mostly known for its tasteful modifications to various BMW models. For years, the tuning specialists have taken BMW vehicles and have enhanced their looks, as well as performance. In more recent times, the company has started branching out and we’ve seen their work on cars like the Lamborghini Urus and Land Rover Discovery. Apparently, they’ve decided that the Tesla Model 3 could use a grille, despite being an EV, and the results are interesting to say the least.

Tesla had another moment of internet glory and hype as the Interwebs were filled with interior renders of the revised Model S and Model X. Specifically, it was the yoke-style steering wheel that caught everyone’s attention, even though it might not make it into production.

However, not everything is milk and sugar for the EV maker and its fan/customer base as the Roadster has been hit with a delay.

With what we’re guessing to be a 130-kWh battery, 1,100 horsepower, and a 0-60 mph sprint of less than two seconds, the Tesla Model S Plaid is – probably – the most extreme production car of the year. It is at least three-tenths of a second faster than the Model S performance and nearly two seconds quicker than the base Long Range Plus model. Add in the 200-mph top speed, and you have the most impressive electric vehicle made thus far and something that could be quite dangerous if left in the wrong hands, and that’s kind of what we’re here to talk about today.

The news surrounding the Roadster has surely gotten us frustrated at some point or the other. It was unveiled in 2017 and was expected to hit the roads in 2020, but Tesla made it clear that the Roadster is not its priority and it will arrive later.

Although its arrival date is pushed to 2022 for now, we do get constant updates about it every now and then. This time, it comes from none other than the CEO himself about the Roadster going to Nurburgring. Elon Musk confirmed on Twitter that the Roadster will hit the tarmac on the Green Hell next year. From what we know already, can it set a record?

Ladies and gentlemen, we are going to make a quick detour to Switzerland today, where the last Tesla Roadster ever built popped up on Car For You, a local car sales website. Nothing unusual so far, until you get to see how much the owner is asking for the Roadster.

When Musk announced that the next-gen Roadster will be offered a SpaceX option package that includes rocket thrusters, it took many people by surprise. Although he said that the Roadster pack will “definitely enable it to fly short hops.”, it also meant it will be much faster than the 1.9-second claim. J

Jason Fenske of Engineering Explained worked out the math and concluded that the next-gen Roadster with rocket thrusters will do the sprint in just 1.1 seconds.

Based on this figure, a CGI artist has created a video that depicts what that specific run could look like. Check out the video in the tweet below.

The next-gen Tesla Roadster is going to be a revolutionary car and there’s no doubt about that. The automaker has claimed an 0-60 mph time of 1.9 seconds for the base model. However, this could probably be the slowest trim in the lineup.

Elon Musk has already said that Tesla will offer the Roadster with a SpaceX option package. According to Engineering Explained’s Jason Fenske, the Roadster with this package will be able to sprint to 60 mph from a standstill in 1.1 seconds! Phew!

While the Tesla Model S has its hands full dealing with the all-electric Porsche Taycan (not when it comes to range, though), the Model 3 has been pitted against the 2020 Porsche 911 by the fellas over at Carwow.

We know, we know, and they do too, these two are not exactly direct rivals and the differences between them aren’t only related to how they generate power and torque. The 911 is rear-wheel-driven, while the Model 3 spins all four wheels. The EV is also a tad more powerful and quicker off the line, but the Neunelfer packs a mean Launch Control feature and is, after all, a purely-bred sports car.

The Tesla Roadster is one of the most anticipated vehicles for 2020. Not because the American firm is reviving the nameplate, but because the Roadster 2.0 promises outstanding performance, like more than 7,000 pound-feet of torque, a 0-to-60 mph sprint of 1.9 seconds, and a top speed of more than 250 mph. But all these spectacular figures will come at a cost - an estimated $250,000. Obviously not many will be able to afford the Roadster 2.0, but now you can buy a scale model for just 0.1-percent of the price.

0-60 mph in 1.9 seconds. 0-100 mph in 4.2 seconds. A quarter-mile run in 8.8 seconds and a top speed in excess of 250 mph. All with a car that can go over 620 miles on a single charge. These were Elon Musk’s claims about the second-generation Tesla Roadster two years ago. If you’re still impressed, don’t be because, apparently, the production version will blow to smithereens the prototype. Or so says its designer.

If you’ve ever wondered about the etymology of Tesla’s Ludicrous Speed upgrade for the Model S, look no further than Mel Brooks’ Spaceballs, the parody of the Star Wars movie franchise that was released back in 1988. “Ludicrous Speed,” as it was called, was a unit of speed that traveled faster than “Light Speed” and “Ridiculous Speed.” It also opened the door for the next fastest form of speed in outer space, referred to only as “Plaid.” All of this is relevant only in Tesla’s world because of the upcoming arrival of the Model S Plaid. This is everything we know about it.

Elon Musk has made another bold claim regarding the Tesla Roadster’s optional SpaceX package. If the package’s “cold-air thrusters” aren’t ambitious enough, Musk indicated that these thrusters would allow the Roadster to fly. At first, he qualified the term “fly” as the ability to hover or make hops over stretched distances. Now, he’s saying that the Roadster can actually do something akin to the hovering DeLorean from Back to the Future. Perhaps it’s best to assume that Musk is being a little cheeky with this latest boast, but for what it’s worth, he’s also followed through on past claims that were deemed ridiculous at the time. Is this a case of Musk finally biting off more than he can chew, or is he up to something yet again? Either way, the idea of a flying Tesla Roadster is so absurd that it’s actually awesome. Here’s to hoping that there’s more to Tesla’s SpaceX package than what we’ve been let on.