Seven Years. 'A Few Weeks.'

Tesla first unveiled the second-generation Roadster in November 2017. Elon Musk promised deliveries by 2020. Then 2021. Then 2023. Then 'soon.'

Now it's June 2026, and Tesla Chief Designer Franz von Holzhausen told a crowd at the Tesla Takeover Europe event on Saturday, June 6, that the Roadster is coming 'in a few weeks.' Multiple attendees confirmed the statement, according to Teslarati.

Maybe he means it this time. Maybe he doesn't. Tesla's history on delivery timelines doesn't inspire blind faith.

The Numbers, If True, Are Legitimately Impressive

Here's what Tesla is claiming for the Roadster, per Teslarati's breakdown:

• Price: $250,000
• Horsepower: 1,000+
• 0-60 mph: 1.1 seconds (with SpaceX package) or 1.9 seconds standard
• Top speed: 250+ mph
• Range: 620 miles

If those specs are real and verified in independent testing, this is a genuinely extraordinary machine. A 1.1-second 0-60 would make it the fastest production car ever built. A 620-mile range would nearly double what most high-end EVs currently offer.

Those are big 'ifs.' Tesla has a documented history of spec sheets that don't survive contact with real-world conditions. The Cybertruck's towing range being dramatically lower than advertised is one recent example. Verification by independent reviewers upon actual delivery is the only thing that matters.

The Ferrari Comparison Is Convenient Timing

ZeroHedge and Teslarati are leaning hard into the Ferrari angle. Ferrari unveiled its Luce EV recently — priced at $640,000, with a 194 mph top speed and 280 miles of range — and the contrast with the Roadster's claimed specs is stark.

On Friday, June 5, Ferrari CEO Benedetto Vigna was quoted saying: 'We will not make fully autonomous cars — loud and clear. We want people to have fun, not the chips. We want a steering wheel and a man or a woman behind the steering wheel. Otherwise, why do you buy a Ferrari?'

That's a coherent philosophical argument, not a weak dodge. Ferrari's customers are paying for a driving experience, not a transportation appliance. That's a legitimate market position.

But on the raw specs and value proposition, the Roadster — if it delivers what Tesla claims — makes the Luce look like an overpriced museum piece. $640,000 for 280 miles of range and 194 mph top speed is hard to defend when the competition is claiming 620 miles and 250+ mph for $250,000.

What's Getting Buried: The SpaceX IPO Timing

The SpaceX IPO is reportedly scheduled for next Friday, June 13. There are also active rumors — reported by CNBC on May 26 — that Musk is considering a Tesla-SpaceX merger as a potential 2027 event.

Von Holzhausen's 'few weeks' announcement dropped the week before the IPO. The Roadster's most premium option is literally called the SpaceX package. The timing is worth examining.

A splashy Roadster launch creates maximum buzz around Tesla and SpaceX at the exact moment SpaceX is going public. Whether that's sharp business timing or market manipulation-adjacent hype is a question the SEC should be paying attention to.

Musk has been here before. The 'funding secured' tweet in 2018 cost him $20 million personally and his chairmanship (with Tesla paying a separate $20 million, for a combined $40 million settlement). He knows the rules. The convergence of a product announcement, an IPO, and merger speculation all in the same week invites scrutiny.

What Media Is Getting Wrong

Right-leaning outlets like ZeroHedge are treating this as a victory lap before a single Roadster has been delivered. The specs being real is an assumption, not a fact.

Left-leaning outlets appear to have pulled or 404'd their Roadster coverage entirely — The Verge's piece is dead, Motor1's is gone. Whether that's editorial caution or just site maintenance is unclear, but it means the only surviving coverage as of today skews heavily toward Tesla boosterism.

Neither approach serves the reader.

A Tesla executive said a car is coming soon. Tesla executives have said that before. When the cars actually ship and independent testers get behind the wheel, we'll know if any of this is real.

What This Means for Regular People

If you're not in the market for a $250,000 supercar, the Roadster doesn't affect your daily life directly. But it matters for two reasons.

First, the technology proven in the Roadster — battery range, motor efficiency, charging speed — eventually trickles down to mainstream EVs. A 620-mile range breakthrough at the high end means affordable EVs get better faster.

Second, Tesla's stock is in millions of Americans' 401(k)s and retirement accounts. A successful Roadster launch paired with a SpaceX IPO would move markets. A delayed launch or spec disappointment would move them the other direction.

Verify the specs. Watch the IPO timing. Wait for the cars to actually exist before calling anyone a winner.