Tesla’s long-delayed Roadster has finally left the ground. At a Texas unveiling, the redesigned electric sports car drove upside down, rotated in midair and landed using thrusters developed with SpaceX, delivering a demonstration far beyond a conventional supercar launch.

The technology combines two systems: fans beneath the car create suction to hold it against a surface, while thrusters fed by highly pressurized air provide additional force. At SpaceX’s McGregor test facility, a prototype climbed a towering curved ramp before launching off it and using its thrusters to control its descent.

Tesla says the thruster-equipped Roadster can accelerate from zero to 60 mph in less than a second, exceed 230 mph and travel more than 300 miles on a charge. Those are company claims, not independently verified production-car results. Production is now targeted for 2028.

Tesla is dividing the Roadster into three configurations rather than giving every buyer the full flying package. Performance is described as a road-focused, two-seat model with active aerodynamics and a suction system. Thrust adds acceleration thrusters and is positioned for racing. The invitation-only Rocket version has just one seat and adds what Tesla describes as a full flight system.

Reservations require substantial money upfront: $50,000 for Performance and $250,000 for Thrust, according to the U.S. reservation details reported by Reuters. Those figures are deposits, not purchase prices. Tesla did not announce final pricing at the unveiling.

The spectacle follows years of missed deadlines. Tesla first presented its next-generation Roadster in 2017 and promised production in 2020. Subsequent production and demonstration targets slipped repeatedly, leaving early reservation holders waiting while the project evolved.

The car also arrives at an unusual moment for Tesla. As the company increasingly emphasizes autonomous vehicles and robotics, Musk is positioning the Roadster as a showcase for human-driven performance rather than a major source of revenue. Its importance is as much about restoring Tesla’s reputation for ambitious engineering as selling sports cars.

Whether customers will be able to use its most dramatic capabilities remains a separate question. Musk acknowledged that the vehicle might not be legal in every jurisdiction. A successful demonstration establishes what a prototype can do, not where owners will be permitted to do it.