Tesla shares are up 1.6% in early New York trading after the electric vehicle maker unveiled a new Roadster capable of brief flight, using compressed-air rocket technology borrowed from Elon Musk's SpaceX.
The two-seater was revealed at SpaceX's test facility in McGregor, Texas, where it completed a somersault over a Tesla Semi truck before running a timed 0-60mph sprint in 0.81 seconds.
Musk said the production version, due in 2028, will go faster still.
The car uses ten thruster nozzles fed by two high-pressure air tanks holding 600 litres of compressed air, producing more than 80kN of thrust from the four rear thrusters alone.
A fan system beneath the body creates suction of up to 2G, pressing the car to the road and enabling cornering forces well beyond the limits of conventional tyres.
"You can corner like it looks like you're breaking physics because the car sticks to the ground so hard," Musk said.
The Roadster will be the only manually driven car Tesla continues to make long-term, according to Musk, as the rest of the range shifts to autonomous operation.
It will be left-hand drive only, including in the UK, and Musk acknowledged it may not be road-legal in every market.
Tesla has not announced a price, though the US reservation page requires an initial $50,000 payment.
The unveiling comes 20 years after Tesla introduced its original Roadster, the company's first production car.
