Taking the Tesla Roadster, the world’s most famous electric sports car, for a spin. (Photo credits: Monica Michelle)
The Tesla Roadster — at 0 to 60 mph in 3.9 seconds — is faster off the blocks than both the Ferrari F430 and the Lamborghini Gallardo. Oh, and it burns no oil.
The 2009 model is close to sold out, and it takes a $60,000 deposit to attempt to get one a year from now.
I have wanted — for a long time — to get in the cockpit of this curious machine and test its limits. Last week, Brian Lam of Gizmodo and I had a chance to do exactly that…
I was eager to compare it to the Audi R8 supercar I took for a aggressive run a few months ago.
The electric experiment did not disappoint.
The chassis weighs just 180 lbs. and looks no bigger than a cowhide rug.
The Tesla Roadster sounds like a fighter jet and accelerates like a drag motorcycle on steroids. Here are the videos and a few select shots (all the pictures, including interior, are here):
The Tesla hugs the curves and is LOW. I could touch my elbow to the asphalt from the driver’s seat.
If you have the cash and are prone to spending it on cars, the Tesla Roadster might just be the fix you’re looking for.
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Odds and Ends: DonorsChoose Winners, Cool Tools, and More…
Need to make a website quickly? I just used Weebly:
I’m often asked what I use to create websites. Last week, I experimented with Weebly for the first time and was very pleased with the new Timothy Ferriss homepage, which was created in about 30 minutes. The natural search-engine optimization (SEO) is also impressive.
DonorsChoose winners (plus important note for all respondents):
Sincerest apologies for taking so long! Two things:
1) The 10 winners of $150 gift certificates for helping DonorsChoose get $500,000 in funding for US public school teachers on this post are:
-Jimflip – post begins “I clicked, I contacted…”
-Ben – post begins “Hey Tim, Ok, so I posted the note and URL…”
-Rachel – post begins “I tweeted (and got friends to tweet)…”
-Cody – post begins “Tim, your blog is quickly becoming…”
-C A Campbell – post begins “Done. Tweeted, on Facebook…”
-Chuck Lasker – post begins “Great post, Tim. Thanks. MySpace…”
-Andrew Kessler – post begins “I have added the link to both my business and personal Twitter…”
-Doc Kane – post begins “Hi Tim, Done, done, and done…”
-Chris Morin – post begins “I Buzzed & Dugg & Pownced…”
-Tim – post begins “Vote is in and counted…”
2) All of you who put up eligible comments before the deadline will get a $25 gift certificate to DonorsChoose, where you can help a local public school teacher. Please give me some time, but you’ll each get an email on this in the next few weeks. Thank you for participating and stepping up to make a difference!
Other fun items on the Internets:
Timothy Ferriss vs. David Allen: Productivity Guru Smackdown
Timothy Ferriss on Using a Viral Idea to Create a Best-seller: Publishing 2.0
What trouble is Tim getting into in real-time? Follow Timothy Ferriss on Twitter.