Tesla Preps SpaceX Rocket-Powered Flying Roadster Demo

The thruster package uses pressurized inert gas, the same category of hardware SpaceX relies on for attitude control during Falcon 9 booster landings, rather than combustion. Roughly ten thrusters are expected to sit where the rear seats would normally go, and Musk has claimed the system could push the Roadster from 0 to 60 mph in about 1.1 seconds while briefly lifting the car off the pavement. Spectators would need to stand several hundred yards back because of potential hearing damage from the high-pressure gas release, per The Information’s sourcing.

The demo vehicle will reportedly be remotely operated, without a driver, and will not be street legal. Tesla intends to sell a limited-edition SpaceX version equipped with t...