Significance
In this day and age, nearly every performance car manufacturer is building a sports car with some form of electrification. But in the mid-2000s, almost nobody was doing it. Sure, there were a few small-batch manufacturers, but it wasn’t until Tesla debuted its original Roadster that the idea really began to catch on. Although Tesla is now a juggernaut in the electric vehicle space, the Roadster was the brand’s entry into automotive production, which generated enough excitement and notoriety to grow into what it is today. The Roadster is based on the lightweight Lotus Elise but features heavily altered body panels to differentiate it from its gas-powered sibling.
About this vehicle
This 2008 Tesla Roadster Signature 100 is one of the first 100 examples produced, with this being the 72nd car off the production line. Showing 33,000 miles at the time of cataloging, this Roadster has been a lifelong Northern California car and has been kept to a very high standard. Finished in silver, this Roadster has been upgraded with a number of carbon fiber pieces that help the car stand out. Produced by Tesla Roadster specialists Medlock and Sons, these bare carbon pieces include a front splitter, air intakes and inner door sills, which are all finished to a very high quality. It is also worth noting that the original black plastic pieces are included if you want to return it to standard. One of the best things about the Tesla Roadster was the ability to take the top off and enjoy a backroad blast with just the sound of the wind rushing over your head. Most Roadsters would have come with a canvas soft top or body color carbon fiber hard top - but this Roadster has both of those, along with a third Visium glass top that does wonders to open up the small cabin.
The interior is much like the Lotus Elise that it was based on - very simple and paired down, with few creature comforts. The seats are finished in two-tone black and gray, and between them on the rear bulkhead is a Signature 100 Edition placard stating this is car 72/100. In front of the driver sits a simple yet perfectly sized 3-spoke steering wheel, that frames a gauge pod with a 150-MPH speedometer and a tachometer that revs to 13,000 RPM. Unlike the Lotus, there is a small LCD screen above the left-hand sill that shows information about the car, and the shifter simply moves the car between reverse, neutral and drive.
The most innovative part of this car is by far, the powerplant. The first car to utilize lithium-ion batteries, the 53-kilowatt-hour battery pack powers a 3-phase AC induction motor that produces 248 horsepower and 200 lb-ft of torque. This example retains its original battery pack, and CAC was recently tested and showed 136. When new, Motor Trend tested a Roadster and achieved 0-60 mph in just 3.9 seconds and a ¼ mile in 12.6. Thanks to the lightweight and instantaneous torque, this car feels extremely quick from behind the wheel, and even though many new electric cars may be able to match or beat its acceleration times, few will provide the visceral feelings that a Roadster does.
With less than 2,500 Roadsters produced between 2008 and 2012, it is no surprise values have begun to rise- and the Signature 100 Edition cars are leading the way. With the prominence of Tesla in today’s automotive landscape, this is an opportunity to get into one of the first 100 cars produced by the company and have an exciting sports car in your garage. This example is very nicely sorted and comes with a host of additional parts, along with some pieces of memorabilia from the early days of Tesla.
