AUSTIN, Texas — Tesla has released a jaw-dropping point-of-view video of its next-generation Roadster pulling off the stunt it calls the "kickflip," giving fans a cockpit-level view of the car flipping fully inverted over a lineup of the company's entire fleet.
A Flying Car's-Eye View
The roughly 30-second clip, posted on X with the caption "POV you're a flying car," uses never-before-seen camera angles mounted on the Roadster itself. It shows the uncrewed prototype firing its cold-gas thrusters, lifting off the ground, and barrel-rolling completely upside down over a staged row of a Model 3, Model Y, Cybercab, Cybertruck, and Tesla Semi before settling back on its wheels.
The footage comes from the Roadster's October 15 unveiling, staged at SpaceX's McGregor, Texas test site. It is the clearest look yet at a vehicle that has been teased since 2017, and it lands just days after the next-gen Roadster was spotted at SpaceX's headquarters, keeping speculation about the car — and the deepening ties between Musk's companies — at a fever pitch.
How the Kickflip Works
The maneuver is a genuine feat of engineering. To go inverted, the Roadster uses an underbody suction-fan system that generates multiple Gs of downforce, letting the car climb a ramp and lock itself upside down. It then releases that hold to initiate the mid-air roll, with thruster vapor cushioning the landing. Vehicle-engineering chief Lars Moravy dubbed the roll the "kickflip," and Musk joked that skateboarding legend Tony Hawk would approve — adding that the car could clear even more vehicles.
