Wednesday 21st October

Last Tesla Roadster built at Hethel for sale

Whenever the new Roadster arrives, you probably can't get one - here's one you most definitely can 

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Even by Tesla standards, the reveal of the new Roadster was extraordinary. Nothing less should be expected, really, but the thrusters and the flying and the performance claims were quite something. Heaven knows how this stuff will make it to production, or when customers will actually get their car - but Tesla sure knows how to whip up a crowd. And a conversation…

If you’re anything like us, the new Roadster probably served to make the original look even more appealing. Back when a flying car seemed as likely as a two-term President Trump (and Elon Musk in the inner circle for a period), the Tesla Roadster answered many of the criticisms that now exist around performance EVs. It was relatively light and simple thanks to the Lotus architecture, it looked great in the traditional sports car sense (rather than just relying on shock and awe), and actually offered some innovation in the fledgling electric car space. Rather than just another SUV. Range and charging won’t be anything on a new EV (it won’t even accept a DC plug), but there hasn’t been another electric sports car of similar desirability in 20 years of progress since. 

It was a great way to announce Musk-era Tesla to the world, even if that Top Gear episode didn’t go to plan. Even more than today, electric cars were seen as puritanical and dreary; to then have a BEV built from the Lotus Elise and with genuinely startling performance was as revolutionary as the thrusters are now. And most definitely of more relevance. 

The significance of the Roadster to the Tesla story, alongside the rarity, has ensured they’ve become quite collectable. All of those on sale on PH are six-figure prospects; every single other Tesla is only worth, at most, half as much. It’ll be interesting to see what Roadster v2.0 does to the values of this one; there’s surely been a few more searches for this Tesla Roadster, even accidental ones, over the past few days. A new Tesla sports car doesn’t feel like a replacement that will significantly depress values of the model it (belatedly) supercedes, put it that way. 

This one has an additional claim to fame as the very last of a couple of hundred RHD Tesla Roadsters to leave Hethel. There was an Autocar story and everything - that’s when you know it’s a big deal. It’s crazy to think that RHD Teslas were being made in Norfolk as recently as 2012; some ride it’s been since then. There aren’t many miles on this one, and some attention at a Tesla main agent in 2024. Inside and out, it looks better than ever: what was once a slightly gawky rework of the Elise now looks simple, smart - and quite cool, actually. Not often you can say that about Tesla. 

At £105k, this is actually the most affordable Roadster on PH. Which would buy a small championship’s worth of Elises, yes, but that’s not the point. This is where the story of Tesla as the world’s best-known (and most infamous) car company effectively begins, and the new Roadster means that fame is going nowhere. It just so happens that this is by far the most interesting Tesla, too. Which is why it’s a hundred grand - even without the ability to fly. 

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SPECIFICATION | TESLA ROADSTER 2.5 SPORT

Engine: Single electric motor, 50.4kWh (usable) lithium ion battery
Transmission: Single-speed automatic, rear-wheel drive
Power (hp): 292
Torque (lb ft): 295
MPG: c. 200 miles range
CO2: 0g/km
Year registered: 2012
Recorded mileage: 8,668
Price new: c. £100,000
Yours for: £104,995

See the original advert

[Noe]

As the last sentence of the article ….

That this cannot fly, or be retrofitted to fly, is a major downside for any potential purchaser

[mjspencer348]

51 currently UK registered, 39 on the road and 12 SORN. Somehow I thought there would be more, given an estimated 460 were sold in the UK during 2010-12, what happened to the 400-odd others over the last 14-16 years?

[Motormouth88]

Wish I’d bought shares when this came out…but then again I was 24 and even more stupid than I am now.

[Andy86GT]

Given how the cost of the battery must have significantly reduced, it sems odd that nobody has been able to replicate this at an affordable price well over 10 years later

[_Rodders_]

Noe said:

As the last sentence of the article .

That this cannot fly, or be retrofitted to fly, is a major downside for any potential purchaser

NSIS.

[_Rodders_]

Andy86GT said:

Given how the cost of the battery must have significantly reduced, it sems odd that nobody has been able to replicate this at an affordable price well over 10 years later

Well they could if they wanted to sell 300 of them.

If they want to make money then there's probably a million other things you could put your money into first.

[p4cks]

You can definitely see where they got the Evora styling from

[TGCOTF-dewey]

Price of these boggles my mind.

Objectively worse in every way to an Elise, with an old battery. You'd really have to be a Musk fanboy/girl to spend 100k on one.

[cerb4.5lee]

It's lovely to see an electric car that doesn't depreciate to be fair.

All joking aside, we need more stuff like this now really in many ways I think.

[Monkeylegend]

TGCOTF-dewey said:

Price of these boggles my mind.

Objectively worse in every way to an Elise, with an old battery. You'd really have to be a Musk fanboy/girl to spend 100k on one.

But at least the battery is covered by a two year warranty up to September 2026 for that all so important peace of mind.

[sixor8]

mjspencer348 said:

51 currently UK registered, 39 on the road and 12 SORN. Somehow I thought there would be more, given an estimated 460 were sold in the UK during 2010-12, what happened to the 400-odd others over the last 14-16 years?

The data on howmanyleft relies on its information from DVLA. Several may well have been registered as just 'Tesla' with the model missing. Although in this case it looks like only 3. Some written off / exported too I expect. This happens with all makes of car, the figures are a minimum really:

https://www.howmanyleft.co.uk/vehicle/tesla_model_...

[BigChiefmuffinAgain]

Andy86GT said:

Given how the cost of the battery must have significantly reduced, it sems odd that nobody has been able to replicate this at an affordable price well over 10 years later

Whatever happened to the Caterham ?

[_Rodders_]

TGCOTF-dewey said:

Price of these boggles my mind.

Objectively worse in every way to an Elise, with an old battery. You'd really have to be a Musk fanboy/girl to spend 100k on one.

It's significant because of what Tesla has become since.

Objectively any modern car would run rings round a 60's Ferrari. But one of those could be £30m.

[oilit]

Is anyone really buying ev convertibles - based upon MG data I would suggest not? Isn t hearing the engine part of the attraction?

[Geoffcapes]

oilit said:

Is anyone really buying ev convertibles - based upon MG data I would suggest not? Isn t hearing the engine part of the attraction?

Not really when you look at the number of diesel convertibles on the road.

[Thornberry78]

Beauty is in the eye of the beholder i suppose....
Think i'd save a dollop of cash and just buy a really nice Elise or Exige.

[WCZ]

don't these have free supercharging for life too?

[nismo48]

Thornberry78 said:

Beauty is in the eye of the beholder i suppose....
Think i'd save a dollop of cash and just buy a really nice Elise or Exige.

I can see what you mean

[TGCOTF-dewey]

_Rodders_ said:

It's significant because of what Tesla has become since.

Objectively any modern car would run rings round a 60's Ferrari. But one of those could be £30m.

Yeah but kids have posters of Ferraris on their bedroom wall. Tesla sell white goods that no one lists after.

[dukebox9reg]

Geoffcapes said:

oilit said:

Is anyone really buying ev convertibles - based upon MG data I would suggest not? Isn t hearing the engine part of the attraction?

Not really when you look at the number of diesel convertibles on the road.

lol I have a diesel convertible. At least its a manual and will do over 600miles on a fairly small tank. Id rather enjoy rowing a 140bhp diesel with the roof down then a silent convertible with 500bhp.