@@BrandonCera It's not the first time it's been made, though. I think Jeremy Clarkson said something very very similar, but I can't remember what he was revieweing when he said it.
I think as car enthusiasts, many of us want to see a return to small footprint sports cars, but especially in the EV space. Obviously, there are limitations due to current tech, but the original roadster is proof that EVs don't have to be disconnected experiences beyond just speed. If the new Roadster ever does come out, I hope they make it dynamic enough to prove that driver's cars can exist with EV powertrains too.
My thought on every other electric car video has been, what will happen when this fails, and will this be economical to repair. But, just the simplicity of using a standard key switch to power up the vehicle and a physical linkage between the parking brake and the handle is so confidence inspiring. We desperately need vehicles like this that are economical to produce and maintain.
I've got my fingers crossed that the electric Cayman/Boxster replacement will be able to deliver the more analogue, small-footprint thrills of the original Roadster. Manufacturers have got it into their heads that "sporty" with EVs means a titanic >90kWh battery and 2-3 motors for some monster horsepower figure, but that's not what the market needs. Give me something tactile, agile, and hopefully fairly affordable. $50k, 55kWh, >250bhp,
They have less range because people want to drive 5000 Ib boats. This vehicle ways 2700 pounds. The lotus version was under 2000. It’s the smallest vehicle you’ll ever see
This was my Tesla Roadster and I’m so thankful to Marques for featuring her on this channel! When I got the Roadster back in 2018, the previous owner had paid the $29,000 R80 upgrade which was offered by Tesla from 2014-2017. It upgraded the original 53 kWh pack to 80 kWh. There were supposed to be aero upgrades, better tires, and a redesigned front fascia but true to Tesla they never got to it. There are many Roadster owners I know on the original pack (when new it would give 160 miles on a standard charge, 240 on full). When I got the car she could go up to 350 miles, nowadays it’s closer to 260. Tesla stopped the 3.0 program because of faster than expected degradation (they used LG cells in the new ones vs the Panasonic cels of the original). I just hope the car lasts for awhile until someone can figure out a solution.
The original design of the car had two-speed transmission, so with the RPM you could see which gear you are in and when to shift. But they ditched that since it couldn't handle the torque of the motor. The newer revision swaps the RPM with a power meter, similar to what you get on modern Teslas or maybe Rolls Royce
Do you know if the parking brake is mandatory for the roadster? He made it sound like it is but it might be him being used to automatic parking brakes all his life (he did say he hasn't driven cars from 2008).
This thing is so cool. I really wish cars were more analog like this - all the physical buttons and switches etc. even turning the key to start it is so much more satisfying than pushing a button imo
I am the first (and only) owner of a 2009 Tesla Roadster Sport. Almost every part that is common with an Elise is in the interior: Steering wheel, windshield, etc. The top is not shared, but they are the same size and you can fit an Elise top with minor modifications. The other shared parts are in suspension, but much of the Roadster suspension was custom built by Lotus for Tesla.
I have never driven or rode in an original roadster, but I did see one once in a parking lot and couldn't get over how small it was! Would love to ride in one or drive one one day! Thanks for the video!
Knowing the history of Tesla from this time I can fully appreciate the challenges of the Roadster project after seeing this deep dive. I have heard plenty of stories about how they could not get the parts done for the prices that would make it profitable.
I literally don't even know where to start! Seeing you review on old Tesla is so cool! But seeing this channel grow is even more amazing! such a wonderful watch, full on review with a phone and a mic amazing work MKBHD!
Loved every second of this! Would love to see your drive the 1st ge NA Miata! What you said about not seeing the street lights reminded me of my Miata! I always had to duck to see the lights!
I remember first finding out about this car in either late 2008 or early 2009 and making it my mission to see one of them out on the road. Fast farward to May of 2010 and I FINALLY saw one in person out in the Rocky Mountains heading West on I-270. I still have the pictures to this day. I was truly enamored by this car ever since the beginning because it really was just THAT different and interesting back in the late 2000s.
I love the way Marques is amazed at the fact that have you have to manually put the key and turn it to start the car without releasing most average people who have cars have regular keys lol
as someone who has an Elise, I think this car is SO fascinating and I would absolutely love to drive one. It's basically what I hope electric sports cars will be like in the future.
@@justingeorge7070Dude thanks for loaning it out!! I've been fascinated with Tesla for the past 10 years back when they were a lot more rare to see. That's an awesome fucking car I really enjoyed seeing the specifics of it. You're a lucky dude
Hi MKBHD. I like this channel! I never even knew it existed. I enjoy your car tech reviews and your views on the right to repair. 😊 Thanks for your hard work!
I love this channel, you're doing such a great job with car reviews! Excuse my fanboy moment, but it is because of you, MKB. You're always so interesting, funny, and informative. I think you could start a channel reviewing paint drying and it would be awesome. :).
Love that you did this video. Always been a fan of the Elise and then I saw one here in Windsor. Looked so nice and it was the first EV I ever saw in person!
Auto Focus is a underrated gem about MKBHD. The phone shots still fools me a couple of times. I keep forgetting it’s not a actual camera, but the 14 Pro needs to work on the skin tones-that’s what the Pixel gets right with “Real Tone”.
@@issacevans9156 Oh? you cleary don't know me... He is using a damn iPhone to shoot his videos on and not a $50k Arri digital cinema camera. Even with the advances in software and chips inside an iPhone, it can never match a $50k dedicated cinema camera. Its a damn car review and not a Loreal Paris commercial
@@mamadouaziza2536 yes it's not an expensive camera, but it is still more expensive than the Pixel that gets the skin tones right. Apple can do better.
I just saw Graham Stephen in Vegas here driving his roadster , I got to say what's up and we shared a smile, aside from that with all the model 3s I see I tend to forget where they all began/come from ❣️
This video really highlights the fact that Marcus still is viewing these cars as gadgets rather than from the viewpoint of cars. Nothing wrong with that it's just interesting
Great review! I still remember when and where I saw the first Tesla roadster im my local town back in 2009. It was yellow so it stuck out immediately everywhere it showed up.
The most important Lotus component in the Tesla roadster was the aluminum bonded chassis which was innovative back in 1995 when lotus released the original Elise.
This car was the beginning of why I fell in love with Tesla in the first place. I think it looks cool until this day!!! I was lucky enough to sit in one and drive around. Great video!
Ya know what's interesting is I live next to a compound that has like 15 of them always parked out front in various colors. I guess they do a lot of manufacturing for these Roadsters. It's really cool, they must be doing well to own so many and their fence/compound looks really nice as well.
Hot take maybe but I like the analogue and mechanical feel on the inside. I wish a manufacturer would make an EV that had a lot of analogue and mechanical parts in the interior not just screens. Also I’m 19 so you can’t say I’m just an old timer 😂
It also just makes a lot of sense. When I saw a video the other day of the submenus you have to go through to open the glovebox in I think it was the lyric (or whatever it is called) you start asking yourself what those people were thinking
@@keneAhnung11 I know on many of the Teslas (not sure how many) you can press the voice command button and say, "Open glovebox." That's about as easy as it gets.
@@TheAeroegg sorry when I need voice commands to open a glove box something is wrong with the car design. There’s plenty of times when that’s just impractical: Have some loud kids in the back? Tough luck getting your voice command to work. Listening to music? Too bad. needs, to be paused. Transporting something big for which you have to have your boot partly open? As soon as you’re going on the highway it’ll be too loud for the voice command to be heard. Not to mention if you have some friends inside your car it’ll be like the “say the line, Bart!” meme as everyone just loses it because of the absolute dorkiness of having to use a voice command to open the glovebox that could have just as well have a simple release on it like almost every other god damn car so you can open it in less than a second rather than having to press the button > say the line > wait for it to be recognised > potentially having to do it all again I mean sure in the grand scheme of things it’s not a deal breaker but it’s just absolutely stupid design. If they wanna be smart about it, why don’t they give me all options? A voice command, some sub-menu on the touch screen AND a latch / button? User Experience through the roof!
@@keneAhnung11 If the release was on the glove box, why in heavens name would you be reaching for it while driving? I've had no problems with ANY of the voice commands (there are several) at highway speeds and/or with other people talking.
@@TheAeroegg Even if it works perfectly it just simply takes longer sorry. If I can’t reach the glove box I wont be opening it anyway because I can’t reach the contents lol
I love big engines and cars that scream when you get on throttle but the fact that Tesla had a production EV car at this level is a true testiment to their amazing engineering!
@@carholic-sz3qv I work as an EV designer myself and I think it's an impressive feat in 2008 to have a car at that level of production especially with the limited resources and knowledge they had for EVs at that time.
@@DillandShaj wrong!!! It’s not impressive at all! It has first of all a massive battery pack that uses almost the entire vehicle rear trunk…. A regular lotus has much more usable space again the lotus has been praised for decades for been super light.
In 2009 my boyfriend took me to the Tesla dealership in Westwood to test ride a roadster for my birthday. It was amazing, like riding in a roller coaster. It was almost 10 years before I got ro ride and drive a Model S after that. Cool look at the now retro tech! ~Trav
Thanks for this video. it really shows how far Tesla has came and the advancements that are to come. Most dont realize how time moves quickly and what the dreamer engineers can create. The future is bright.
I feel like i’ve been seeing a lot more mentions of the original roadster lately, and i’m all for it! This was such a different car back in the day, and i’d bet most Tesla owners, and even some new Tesla ‘enthusiasts’ don’t even know about it!
Great video, so interesting to see you driving an "old" car, and how curious you are about it being small and quaint but it is a year 2008 car, which for many is pretty new. I have driven the original ICE Elise, it is so light and fast and reckon it is the best driving experience of all time. They always were very noisy and bumpy and that is the fun of the car, but it can be driven for hours on twisty European roads. It does everything in one small package.
The quirkiest thing is to unlock the car manually you have to lay on the asphalt and insert the key in the bottom of the door. Also, on the Sport version, turning the key forward for a couple of seconds puts it into performance mode.
The 1st gen Roadster is like a vintage 911 worth collecting and appreciating it every now and then, and take it for a spin with a smile on your face around town. 😃😎
They could re-release this with nothing more but improved battery cells and a modern charger, and it would sell a lot more than 3000 units. I want one of these now!
And to show how quickly Tesla innovates, the first Model S was delivered in 2012... Just a few short years after the introduction of this Roadster... I have an early 2013 Model S and that car is still VERY much ahead of most modern EV offerings from competitors. That's a Tesla from a DECADE ago.
not really.. The Model S was always a very expensive car with lots of features. Today there is the Lucid Air and the various Porsche Taycans.. If other manufactures built a car anywhere near what a Model S is, the price of said car would be $90k. The key is to build cars without all the tech, not every car needs adjustable suspensions, two motors, 100kwh battery and countless over the air updates.. The Model S is expensive and a flagship for a reason..
@@mamadouaziza2536 Not really what? Nothing you said contradicted me. My point is Tesla produced a car with specs and features that are still pretty modern by today's standards and many competitors can't/don't produce a car that matches that 10 year old car in many ways. For instance, working software that is mostly free from serious-bugs, efficient packaging (seven seats and 2 cavernous trunks), keyless entry and driving done right (ex: no pointless "start" button), quick on-board charger, etc.. Of course, the other makers are doing better than 10 years ago... but that's TEN YEARS ago... Countless OTA updates is not just a nice-to-have... it's a must-have for convenience, but also for safety and it's-2022-why-shouldn't-your-car-always-be-up-to-date-and-modern. And BTW, the Model S 10 years ago only had one motor and a 85kWh battery. The Model S was expensive because batteries were expensive. That's all. It wasn't "all the tech." What tech? You think adding the giant touch screen made it more expensive? No. The touchscreen and "all the tech" allowed Tesla to save costs. Physical buttons with switches, wiring harnesses, connectors, and the labor to source/store inventory/manufacture/assemble costs a lot more than a touchscreen. What Tesla packaged around the expensive battery is pure genius and a testament to their ingenuity for the time.
@@ken830 but the Roadster doesn't have any of the things you mentioned.. You said that todays car manufactures can't produce a car anywhere near the technology of the Roadster?? Minus the carbon fibre bits, the Chevy Bolt EUV surpasses the Roadster in technology.. BMW's i8 Hybrid seems just as good or even better than the Roadster. Lets not even mention the Taycan or the Air Dream edition, both cars have technology for days.. To say that no car today has the technology of a 2008 Tesla Roadster is to say that The USA flag isn't Red, White and Blue.
@@mamadouaziza2536 Dude. The price of battery's have fallen 90% since the model S in 2012. Not a fair comparison at all! The only reason Tesla's sell for so much these days even though they're wayyy cheaper to make is because of high demand.
Pretty damned impressive considering that was from 2008. It's no wonder Tesla is still light years ahead of the competition. They literally had a 14 year head start.
Hmm, Tesla is no longer light years ahead in electric cars, the Koreans saw to that.. However, Tesla is still ahead in some technology though.. I mean if all one wants is a simple electric car, there are plenty of them to buy.. BMW at one point was doing well with developing electric cars until they gave up, they had a great start with the i8 and i3. Now all we get are heavy clunky original gas cars converted into battery powered cars.. The i4 is horrible, it quick and handles well and thats about it.
I had a 2007 Lotus Elise 5 speed and everything you said about it is true in the way it drives and feels. I enjoyed this video because it was nice seeing how the changes affected the car.
It is funny that before you went into the car, i was not feeling you would fit inside it, until you got in, i guess the perspective gets all messed up by seeing through a camera. But it's cool to see this particular car, and thanks for that little sound sample, sounded really cool.
I get flashbacks to working as a "handyman" at a hotel in the Swiss mountains. One of my tasks was to park guests cars, and one day a guy rolled up in a Roadster. I had no idea what it was at the time but got to drive the coolest car I'd seen to date. This was in 2010 😯
I'm Giving the huge shout out to the OG creators of this car, before Elon Took over the company , Kinda the same way he did with Twitter. Without those Two (i think), We would'nt have had this much of a Jump in EV Tech. Their Vision (and Elons money) really pushed the thinking of travel in an Ecological Sense.
Ah yes, Martin Eberhard's and Marc Tarpenning's original vision of the roadster. Makes me wonder what Teslas after this would have actually looked like if the founders weren't ousted by Musk
"You could run over a dime and feel if it was heads up or tails". That was a fantastic quote about manual steering feel and chassis rigidity.
That was expected of a lotus.
I literally laughed so hard cuz it was my first time hearing that joke
@@BrandonCera It's not the first time it's been made, though. I think Jeremy Clarkson said something very very similar, but I can't remember what he was revieweing when he said it.
It's so true. There were bumps and irregularities in my street that I never noticed until my Roadster was delivered.
You can praise lotus for that though not tesla
I think as car enthusiasts, many of us want to see a return to small footprint sports cars, but especially in the EV space. Obviously, there are limitations due to current tech, but the original roadster is proof that EVs don't have to be disconnected experiences beyond just speed. If the new Roadster ever does come out, I hope they make it dynamic enough to prove that driver's cars can exist with EV powertrains too.
I wish they'd kept building this. I am almost sure they couldn't afford to.
I really like the more mechanical controls. A lot of new cars have gone too far in touch screen only controls.
My thought on every other electric car video has been, what will happen when this fails, and will this be economical to repair. But, just the simplicity of using a standard key switch to power up the vehicle and a physical linkage between the parking brake and the handle is so confidence inspiring. We desperately need vehicles like this that are economical to produce and maintain.
I've got my fingers crossed that the electric Cayman/Boxster replacement will be able to deliver the more analogue, small-footprint thrills of the original Roadster.
Manufacturers have got it into their heads that "sporty" with EVs means a titanic >90kWh battery and 2-3 motors for some monster horsepower figure, but that's not what the market needs. Give me something tactile, agile, and hopefully fairly affordable. $50k, 55kWh, >250bhp,
Look up the Aptera. An affordable, efficient/quick, great handling, light EV. Coming out soon!
Crazy that we live in a world now where there are essentially classic EVs. Cool to see.
Electric cars predate internal combustion vehicles
@@braydos1578 Yea which I find insane. gas engines took over because of their range advantage and we've been driving internal combustion ever since.
In what way is a 2008 model year a fugcking classic? What're you, 17?
Google “GM EV-1”
@@ProTeslaVoltHoly hell
Awesome car! 👌
Please no Durability test
meanwhile Zach beating the crap out of it in the nxt vid
What about a TearDown? 😅
Jerry!!! from JerryRigEverything!😳. No wayyy!!!
Total junk. Tesla's aren't good cars. Just hype
that's incredible that they had that much range way back when, I don't know why we settle for less nowadays
because the car is so light, this is why it has so much range. But the faster you drive it the range will drop.
@@mamadouaziza2536 also safety bloat. Adds 100s - 1000s of lbs
They have less range because people want to drive 5000 Ib boats. This vehicle ways 2700 pounds. The lotus version was under 2000. It’s the smallest vehicle you’ll ever see
This was my Tesla Roadster and I’m so thankful to Marques for featuring her on this channel! When I got the Roadster back in 2018, the previous owner had paid the $29,000 R80 upgrade which was offered by Tesla from 2014-2017. It upgraded the original 53 kWh pack to 80 kWh. There were supposed to be aero upgrades, better tires, and a redesigned front fascia but true to Tesla they never got to it.
There are many Roadster owners I know on the original pack (when new it would give 160 miles on a standard charge, 240 on full).
When I got the car she could go up to 350 miles, nowadays it’s closer to 260. Tesla stopped the 3.0 program because of faster than expected degradation (they used LG cells in the new ones vs the Panasonic cels of the original). I just hope the car lasts for awhile until someone can figure out a solution.
@@mamadouaziza2536 The Model 3 SR+ got 240 miles of range and had the same 54 kWh as this car. Much heavier though at 3,500 lbs (2019)
I absolutely adore the rev-counter which goes to 15 000 revs. More EVs should have one.
I agree.
so what is it actually measuring? the rpm of the motors?
@@fitz9806 Yes
The original design of the car had two-speed transmission, so with the RPM you could see which gear you are in and when to shift. But they ditched that since it couldn't handle the torque of the motor. The newer revision swaps the RPM with a power meter, similar to what you get on modern Teslas or maybe Rolls Royce
@@PatrickHavilah Is it though? Looking at the max RPM for various teslas it seems like this is bang on.
Wish more EVs were more analog like this.
Definitely not
@@MadmaxMusic93trust me people will be actively searching for "dumb" cars once car companies realize the full potential of a car as a service
I'm absolutely loving this channel. It's great to see you in more relaxed and seemingly unscripted videos.
Vc por Aki, meu bom senhor? Quando vem o Kuba Kar?
marques explaining how to start the car as if it's the most absurd thing when it's pretty much just like a gas car is so funny to me
Do you know if the parking brake is mandatory for the roadster? He made it sound like it is but it might be him being used to automatic parking brakes all his life (he did say he hasn't driven cars from 2008).
That is the point. It is absurd for a electric car
You mean an old gas car!!! Lol!!!!
@@MartinzW I’ve always parked the car that way, put in Neutral and pull up on the parking brake. I don’t think you have to, but I’m paranoid
@@justingeorge7070 well if you leave it in neutral it could roll, kinda like a manual
The little bit in the end about the kid is priceless, I love how Marques played along with the kid, just pure wholesome
This thing is so cool. I really wish cars were more analog like this - all the physical buttons and switches etc. even turning the key to start it is so much more satisfying than pushing a button imo
That car is in great shape for its age and mileage. Kudos to the owners, its fantastic.
As a Lotus Exige owner - there is much much more than you think from Elise.
NO WAY! Haven't you seen the bespoke "Tesla steering wheel"?
This vid made me cringe so much...
@@toshy at least he didn't say anything about the Opel Vauxhall parts
Lotus designed the bonded extruded aluminum chassis. It definitely has Lotus DNA, even though it actually shares few actual parts with the Elise.
These "as a" comments got to go LOL, brain-dead population
I am the first (and only) owner of a 2009 Tesla Roadster Sport. Almost every part that is common with an Elise is in the interior: Steering wheel, windshield, etc. The top is not shared, but they are the same size and you can fit an Elise top with minor modifications. The other shared parts are in suspension, but much of the Roadster suspension was custom built by Lotus for Tesla.
I have never driven or rode in an original roadster, but I did see one once in a parking lot and couldn't get over how small it was! Would love to ride in one or drive one one day! Thanks for the video!
Knowing the history of Tesla from this time I can fully appreciate the challenges of the Roadster project after seeing this deep dive. I have heard plenty of stories about how they could not get the parts done for the prices that would make it profitable.
This roadster is the model that made Tesla...but one that Tesla stopped servicing.
Thanks MkB for doing such great edits with all phone. Keeping the dream alive.
I literally don't even know where to start! Seeing you review on old Tesla is so cool! But seeing this channel grow is even more amazing! such a wonderful watch, full on review with a phone and a mic amazing work MKBHD!
Loved every second of this! Would love to see your drive the 1st ge NA Miata! What you said about not seeing the street lights reminded me of my Miata! I always had to duck to see the lights!
I remember first finding out about this car in either late 2008 or early 2009 and making it my mission to see one of them out on the road. Fast farward to May of 2010 and I FINALLY saw one in person out in the Rocky Mountains heading West on I-270. I still have the pictures to this day. I was truly enamored by this car ever since the beginning because it really was just THAT different and interesting back in the late 2000s.
I love the way Marques is amazed at the fact that have you have to manually put the key and turn it to start the car without releasing most average people who have cars have regular keys lol
lol he's amazed because an electric car doesn't have an engine that needs to be ignited, not because he's used to luxury cars
as someone who has an Elise, I think this car is SO fascinating and I would absolutely love to drive one. It's basically what I hope electric sports cars will be like in the future.
Thank you for watching! I’m so glad my Roadster got featured on here. Never been in an Elise, but something tells me I’ll fit right in 😄
@@justingeorge7070 Most definitely Hahaha
If only Elon gave a care about its customers...
@@justingeorge7070Dude thanks for loaning it out!! I've been fascinated with Tesla for the past 10 years back when they were a lot more rare to see. That's an awesome fucking car I really enjoyed seeing the specifics of it. You're a lucky dude
This is a great video! I've always wanted to see what the OG roadster was like.
Hi MKBHD. I like this channel! I never even knew it existed. I enjoy your car tech reviews and your views on the right to repair. 😊
Thanks for your hard work!
I love this channel, you're doing such a great job with car reviews! Excuse my fanboy moment, but it is because of you, MKB. You're always so interesting, funny, and informative. I think you could start a channel reviewing paint drying and it would be awesome. :).
Great video as always! I'd love to see a video filmed on the Pixel 7 Pro or S22 ultra sometime soon to mix things up :)
This was such a cool video. I would love to see more retro episodes!
One of my favorite tech youtubers bringing content about my favorite youtube genre which is automotive. Amazing and great idea!
Thank you for making this video. Excellent history and to see where Tesla took us.
Its always cool looking at the past to see how it shaped the future
The video we all been waiting for! (Well, I’ve been waiting for at least)
Thank you Dan!
We’re Old. 😂
You traded yours for NFT. I hope the card is doing well. I'm being positive though. I hope it gets bigger 🙏
What’s inside Dan next?
bruh
Your videos have no fluff from start to finish, good content 👍
Love that you did this video. Always been a fan of the Elise and then I saw one here in Windsor. Looked so nice and it was the first EV I ever saw in person!
Auto Focus is a underrated gem about MKBHD. The phone shots still fools me a couple of times. I keep forgetting it’s not a actual camera, but the 14 Pro needs to work on the skin tones-that’s what the Pixel gets right with “Real Tone”.
his skin tone looks just fine, he's Black.
@@mamadouaziza2536 you clearly aren’t a black person. Although it looks “fine” to you, the tone is actually a bit white washes and over exposed.
@@issacevans9156
Oh? you cleary don't know me...
He is using a damn iPhone to shoot his videos on and not a $50k Arri digital cinema camera. Even with the advances in software and chips inside an iPhone, it can never match a $50k dedicated cinema camera.
Its a damn car review and not a Loreal Paris commercial
@@mamadouaziza2536 yes it's not an expensive camera, but it is still more expensive than the Pixel that gets the skin tones right. Apple can do better.
What are his audio settings?
Bro you're sooooooo good at reviewing stuff thanks for blessing out eyes and ears with this world class content yet again
Very, very cool. Thanks for bringing this to us. Loving this new channel.
I just saw Graham Stephen in Vegas here driving his roadster , I got to say what's up and we shared a smile, aside from that with all the model 3s I see I tend to forget where they all began/come from ❣️
Very cool to see this car again. We need more like it!
This video really highlights the fact that Marcus still is viewing these cars as gadgets rather than from the viewpoint of cars. Nothing wrong with that it's just interesting
I've never watched his channel but I loved the review. It's all the stuff I'd enjoy geeking out over
Great review! I still remember when and where I saw the first Tesla roadster im my local town back in 2009. It was yellow so it stuck out immediately everywhere it showed up.
The most important Lotus component in the Tesla roadster was the aluminum bonded chassis which was innovative back in 1995 when lotus released the original Elise.
This car was the beginning of why I fell in love with Tesla in the first place. I think it looks cool until this day!!! I was lucky enough to sit in one and drive around. Great video!
I remember seeing one back in 2008 and it was mind blowing.
Also that dry carbon fiber was just a vinyl wrap
Ya know what's interesting is I live next to a compound that has like 15 of them always parked out front in various colors. I guess they do a lot of manufacturing for these Roadsters. It's really cool, they must be doing well to own so many and their fence/compound looks really nice as well.
My boss had a signature edition of this that I was lucky to drive. Rough as hell on the road but super fun and memorable.
Love the auto focus videos 👍🏻🔥
Hot take maybe but I like the analogue and mechanical feel on the inside. I wish a manufacturer would make an EV that had a lot of analogue and mechanical parts in the interior not just screens. Also I’m 19 so you can’t say I’m just an old timer 😂
It also just makes a lot of sense. When I saw a video the other day of the submenus you have to go through to open the glovebox in I think it was the lyric (or whatever it is called) you start asking yourself what those people were thinking
@@keneAhnung11 I know on many of the Teslas (not sure how many) you can press the voice command button and say, "Open glovebox." That's about as easy as it gets.
@@TheAeroegg sorry when I need voice commands to open a glove box something is wrong with the car design.
There’s plenty of times when that’s just impractical:
Have some loud kids in the back? Tough luck getting your voice command to work. Listening to music? Too bad. needs, to be paused. Transporting something big for which you have to have your boot partly open? As soon as you’re going on the highway it’ll be too loud for the voice command to be heard.
Not to mention if you have some friends inside your car it’ll be like the “say the line, Bart!” meme as everyone just loses it because of the absolute dorkiness of having to use a voice command to open the glovebox that could have just as well have a simple release on it like almost every other god damn car so you can open it in less than a second rather than having to press the button > say the line > wait for it to be recognised > potentially having to do it all again
I mean sure in the grand scheme of things it’s not a deal breaker but it’s just absolutely stupid design. If they wanna be smart about it, why don’t they give me all options? A voice command, some sub-menu on the touch screen AND a latch / button? User Experience through the roof!
@@keneAhnung11 If the release was on the glove box, why in heavens name would you be reaching for it while driving? I've had no problems with ANY of the voice commands (there are several) at highway speeds and/or with other people talking.
@@TheAeroegg Even if it works perfectly it just simply takes longer sorry. If I can’t reach the glove box I wont be opening it anyway because I can’t reach the contents lol
Appreciate this video very much! Great to see how it all started 😎
No I think that’s really cool that you can appreciate where we came from and where we’re at now. Love the videos keep them coming brother. 🎃
Nice retro look at the first EV by Tesla.
I remember when this came out back in the day, I was a Lotus fan and thought this was cool .
Great job on the video! Thanks for making it.
The sound of changing the gear is just amazing.
You uploaded 1 minute go so I haven't seen your reaction, but
These cars are a blast to drive! So low! So small! So classic feeling. I love them.
I've honestly never seen it up close like that
I appreciated this video and treating it as a retrospective on the car that made EVs cool
I love big engines and cars that scream when you get on throttle but the fact that Tesla had a production EV car at this level is a true testiment to their amazing engineering!
Lol…. Nothing special!!!
@@carholic-sz3qv I work as an EV designer myself and I think it's an impressive feat in 2008 to have a car at that level of production especially with the limited resources and knowledge they had for EVs at that time.
@@DillandShaj wrong!!! It’s not impressive at all! It has first of all a massive battery pack that uses almost the entire vehicle rear trunk…. A regular lotus has much more usable space again the lotus has been praised for decades for been super light.
@@carholic-sz3qv What part of releasing a Li-ion car in 2008 is nothing special?
@@carholic-sz3qv “wrong!!’”🤡
Starting it up had me in shock compared to the current Tesla's 😳
current Tesla's what?
@@pesqair commas matter. Or is it comma’s matter 😅
Developed in 2003-2006
@@Telcontarnz apostrophes
@@txma. brilliant!
In 2009 my boyfriend took me to the Tesla dealership in Westwood to test ride a roadster for my birthday. It was amazing, like riding in a roller coaster. It was almost 10 years before I got ro ride and drive a Model S after that. Cool look at the now retro tech!
~Trav
Thanks for this video. it really shows how far Tesla has came and the advancements that are to come. Most dont realize how time moves quickly and what the dreamer engineers can create. The future is bright.
I've never seen a review of the original Tesla Roadster. Thanks MQB.
Doug Demuro. Go watch it.
I feel like i’ve been seeing a lot more mentions of the original roadster lately, and i’m all for it!
This was such a different car back in the day, and i’d bet most Tesla owners, and even some new Tesla ‘enthusiasts’ don’t even know about it!
Excellent review! Looking forward to the next one.
Great video, so interesting to see you driving an "old" car, and how curious you are about it being small and quaint but it is a year 2008 car, which for many is pretty new. I have driven the original ICE Elise, it is so light and fast and reckon it is the best driving experience of all time. They always were very noisy and bumpy and that is the fun of the car, but it can be driven for hours on twisty European roads. It does everything in one small package.
The quirkiest thing is to unlock the car manually you have to lay on the asphalt and insert the key in the bottom of the door. Also, on the Sport version, turning the key forward for a couple of seconds puts it into performance mode.
Performance mode exists on the non sport version as well
I am 6'3" and this makes me feel very claustrophobic, I had never seen one. So this is a lovely video.
That extra utility screen is great- so engineer-minded 💞
Anyone else LOVE that contoured front number plate? & the customised number plated itself 👍🏼👍🏼
The 1st gen Roadster is like a vintage 911 worth collecting and appreciating it every now and then, and take it for a spin with a smile on your face around town. 😃😎
Never compare "this" to a 911. Especially when you never owned one. No comparison!
They could re-release this with nothing more but improved battery cells and a modern charger, and it would sell a lot more than 3000 units. I want one of these now!
Sadly, Tesla has abandoned it like trash. Jettisoned it to outer space. Kind of like their 25K car project.
i saw a yellow one in 2014 when i went paintballing, i still remember that lil car. i love the elise and tha roadster is so interesting
Loved this. This is the best one so far.
An absolutely epic car! Will be worth a lot in some years
And to show how quickly Tesla innovates, the first Model S was delivered in 2012... Just a few short years after the introduction of this Roadster... I have an early 2013 Model S and that car is still VERY much ahead of most modern EV offerings from competitors. That's a Tesla from a DECADE ago.
not really.. The Model S was always a very expensive car with lots of features. Today there is the Lucid Air and the various Porsche Taycans.. If other manufactures built a car anywhere near what a Model S is, the price of said car would be $90k.
The key is to build cars without all the tech, not every car needs adjustable suspensions, two motors, 100kwh battery and countless over the air updates.. The Model S is expensive and a flagship for a reason..
@@mamadouaziza2536 Not really what? Nothing you said contradicted me. My point is Tesla produced a car with specs and features that are still pretty modern by today's standards and many competitors can't/don't produce a car that matches that 10 year old car in many ways. For instance, working software that is mostly free from serious-bugs, efficient packaging (seven seats and 2 cavernous trunks), keyless entry and driving done right (ex: no pointless "start" button), quick on-board charger, etc.. Of course, the other makers are doing better than 10 years ago... but that's TEN YEARS ago...
Countless OTA updates is not just a nice-to-have... it's a must-have for convenience, but also for safety and it's-2022-why-shouldn't-your-car-always-be-up-to-date-and-modern. And BTW, the Model S 10 years ago only had one motor and a 85kWh battery. The Model S was expensive because batteries were expensive. That's all. It wasn't "all the tech." What tech? You think adding the giant touch screen made it more expensive? No. The touchscreen and "all the tech" allowed Tesla to save costs. Physical buttons with switches, wiring harnesses, connectors, and the labor to source/store inventory/manufacture/assemble costs a lot more than a touchscreen. What Tesla packaged around the expensive battery is pure genius and a testament to their ingenuity for the time.
@@mamadouaziza2536 it was $60k
@@ken830
but the Roadster doesn't have any of the things you mentioned.. You said that todays car manufactures can't produce a car anywhere near the technology of the Roadster?? Minus the carbon fibre bits, the Chevy Bolt EUV surpasses the Roadster in technology.. BMW's i8 Hybrid seems just as good or even better than the Roadster.
Lets not even mention the Taycan or the Air Dream edition, both cars have technology for days.. To say that no car today has the technology of a 2008 Tesla Roadster is to say that The USA flag isn't Red, White and Blue.
@@mamadouaziza2536 Dude. The price of battery's have fallen 90% since the model S in 2012. Not a fair comparison at all! The only reason Tesla's sell for so much these days even though they're wayyy cheaper to make is because of high demand.
Thanks for the retrospective.
You can run over a dime and tell if it's heads up or tails. Epic stuff Marques🤣🤣
Props to everyone who bought one of these, and being part of the movement.
Yeah, thank god for the rich.
Crazy to see how far Tesla has come.
same as iPhone
Love the shoutout to Doug's quirks and features!
I love the little screens so retro
I don't think Marques ever uses handbrake 😂😂
Pretty damned impressive considering that was from 2008. It's no wonder Tesla is still light years ahead of the competition. They literally had a 14 year head start.
Hmm, Tesla is no longer light years ahead in electric cars, the Koreans saw to that.. However, Tesla is still ahead in some technology though.. I mean if all one wants is a simple electric car, there are plenty of them to buy.. BMW at one point was doing well with developing electric cars until they gave up, they had a great start with the i8 and i3. Now all we get are heavy clunky original gas cars converted into battery powered cars.. The i4 is horrible, it quick and handles well and thats about it.
Insane to think that 2008 was 14 years ago. I feel so old now
Nice Thank you for sharing Deb ✌️
I had a 2007 Lotus Elise 5 speed and everything you said about it is true in the way it drives and feels. I enjoyed this video because it was nice seeing how the changes affected the car.
Where did you hide your mic!? That's so seamless!
He's recording with the phone's default microphone.
that's a really good mic@@SaurabhSubhashMelveetil
@@tezzla6358 its iphone mic
Lotus. The most jailbreakable automobile
It is funny that before you went into the car, i was not feeling you would fit inside it, until you got in, i guess the perspective gets all messed up by seeing through a camera. But it's cool to see this particular car, and thanks for that little sound sample, sounded really cool.
I get flashbacks to working as a "handyman" at a hotel in the Swiss mountains. One of my tasks was to park guests cars, and one day a guy rolled up in a Roadster. I had no idea what it was at the time but got to drive the coolest car I'd seen to date. This was in 2010 😯
This car has better software than the ID.4
any car has better software than the ID.4
I'm Giving the huge shout out to the OG creators of this car, before Elon Took over the company , Kinda the same way he did with Twitter. Without those Two (i think), We would'nt have had this much of a Jump in EV Tech. Their Vision (and Elons money) really pushed the thinking of travel in an Ecological Sense.
One of the OGs still drives his, and occasionally brings it out to Roadster meets. Really awesome guy.
Bigups to ya Justin giving ya car here for da vlog here . Nice ride ya got here.
The analogy of the dime on the road made me chuckle 😃
If they ever make a back to the future remake, I think this would be the perfect car to use as the time machine...
If you made 30 videos a day I’d be set for entertainment
i always love your perspectives fr
Ah yes, Martin Eberhard's and Marc Tarpenning's original vision of the roadster. Makes me wonder what Teslas after this would have actually looked like if the founders weren't ousted by Musk
Isn't that just a lotus steering wheel with the Tesla logo
Yes
Some quirks and features. Love the homage to the Daddy Doug!
Can't wait for your video on the Aptera!
HOW DARE YOU say "quirks and features". You'll never be like Jay Leno's son.
Its like watching one of Dougs first Car reviews, very nice Video.