Why Wait For A New Tesla Roadster When You Can Buy An Old One Cheap?

Now that the Cybertruck has become a Porsche-pulling, bulletproof reality, the only remaining unicorn from Tesla is the Roadster. This electric sports car promises to be the quickest in the world, with a 1.9-second 0-60mph time and a battery range of 620 miles. But then it also promised to be in production in 2014, and then 2020, and then 2022, and then 2023…

Before the endless promises began, a Tesla Roadster already existed. No, really, it did – I even drove one back in 2012. Based on the Lotus Elise, it was very much ahead of its time and was the car that first started the world to get all buzzy about this new upstart American car company.

First introduced in 2006, the original Tesla Roadster was sold from 2008 to 2012, during which time around 2,450 were made. That makes it rather rare, so opportunities to buy them are few and far between.

Hooray for auction house RM Sotheby’s, then, which has a low-mileage minter up for grabs at its forthcoming sale in Phoenix, Arizona. Billed as “the historically important first step in high-performance EVs”, and with less than 3500 miles on the clock, this 2010 Tesla Roadster Sport was the 697th Roadster made and has the upgraded electric motor with 288 horsepower, giving it a 3.7-second 0-60mph time. Clad in white paint and with black alloy wheels, it’s got the full stormtrooper spec and can go for more than 200 miles on a single battery charge (at least according to official figures).

If you’re tempted, we won’t blame you. While the tech is relatively old hat today, it was cutting edge for the time, and pitting an electric powertrain in a Lotus chassis made for a highly entertaining driving experience, with very quick acceleration, loads of steering feel and excellent handling.

What price for this piece of automotive history? Well, the estimate is for between $40,000 and $60,000 (£31,800 to £47,700), which isn’t actually all that high. There’s no reserve on it, either. You’ve got until the auction on January 25 to decide whether to throw in a speculative bid.

Living in the UK? The only options we could find for you were a couple of examples on Autotrader, priced rather ambitiously at £175,000 and £195,000 respectively…