X

Watch Jay Leno take the new Tesla Roadster for a spin

Jay Leno waits for nothing, not even official production.

Tesla

Jay Leno is one lucky son of a gun. He gets access to some of the rarest and most interesting cars the industry has ever produced. But he also gets to dip his toes into vehicles that aren't quite ready for production yet -- like the Tesla Roadster.

Jay Leno recently took a spin in the Tesla Roadster for his television show Jay Leno's Garage, and as you might expect, he loved it. The segment starts with Leno rolling in the original Roadster before meeting up with Franz von Holzhausen, design chief. The pair check out the first, but the segment culminates with Leno's passenger-seat ride in a new Roadster.

I won't spoil the entire segment for you, but it's clear that Leno is plenty impressed. Heck, at the end, he throws up his hands and shouts, "I'll buy it! I'll take it!" Considering a down payment for one of these bad boys is $50,000, that shouldn't be too hard for the former king of late-night television. And given how many impressive vehicles Leno has driven over the years, such a comment is definitely high praise.

Tesla's Roadster promises some very impressive specs. It should complete a sprint from 0 to 60 mph in about 1.9 seconds, which is serious racing-car territory. Three electric motors provide motive force, and its 200-kWh battery should produce a range figure north of 600 miles. Of course, these numbers are subject to change as the car moves closer to production, but it should be pretty gnarly nevertheless. Tesla estimates that the new Roadster will make it to production in 2020.

This is the new Tesla Roadster

See all photos
Andrew Krok Reviews Editor / Cars
Cars are Andrew's jam, as is strawberry. After spending years as a regular ol' car fanatic, he started working his way through the echelons of the automotive industry, starting out as social-media director of a small European-focused garage outside of Chicago. From there, he moved to the editorial side, penning several written features in Total 911 Magazine before becoming a full-time auto writer, first for a local Chicago outlet and then for CNET Cars.
Andrew Krok
Cars are Andrew's jam, as is strawberry. After spending years as a regular ol' car fanatic, he started working his way through the echelons of the automotive industry, starting out as social-media director of a small European-focused garage outside of Chicago. From there, he moved to the editorial side, penning several written features in Total 911 Magazine before becoming a full-time auto writer, first for a local Chicago outlet and then for CNET Cars.

Article updated on August 27, 2018 at 10:12 AM PDT

Our Experts

Written by 
Andrew Krok
CNET staff -- not advertisers, partners or business interests -- determine how we review the products and services we cover. If you buy through our links, we may get paid. Reviews ethics statement
Andrew Krok Reviews Editor / Cars
Cars are Andrew's jam, as is strawberry. After spending years as a regular ol' car fanatic, he started working his way through the echelons of the automotive industry, starting out as social-media director of a small European-focused garage outside of Chicago. From there, he moved to the editorial side, penning several written features in Total 911 Magazine before becoming a full-time auto writer, first for a local Chicago outlet and then for CNET Cars.
Why You Can Trust CNET
174175176177178179180+
Experts Interviewed
030405060708091011121314+
Companies Reviewed
108109110111112113+
Products Reviewed

We thoroughly evaluate each company and product we review and ensure our stories meet our high editorial standards.