Tesla has had a booming couple of years with tens of thousands of new owners. Now one of the rare original models has come on the market and could very well be the most expensive Tesla to sell in Australia.
A 2011 Tesla Roadster Sport has just been advertised on carsales with just 23,000 km on the clock. It comes with a hefty price tag of $349,000 before on-road costs.
This example is in one of the iconic Roadster colours: “Very Orange” with black sections of the bonnet and wheels visible on the exterior.
There is also a black lip spoiler on the rear giving this Roadstar a sporty look even from the rear.
According to the seller, this car has been maintained by one of only two certified Tesla Roadster Technicians in Australia.
Given the age of the car, the battery has also had a bit of an overhaul. The seller states that the battery has been “refreshed” 4,000 km ago. This would be when the 12-year-old Roadster was sitting at around the 19,000 km mark.
The newer battery pack could deliver up to 394 km of driving range which is fairly respectable given the battery technology that this car was based on.
This Roadster is also one of the lightest EVs on the market. According to the NSW registration system, it has a tare weight of just 1,260 kg. As a comparison, a Tesla Model 3 is almost half a tonne heavier with a tare weight of 1,752 kg.
Recently, a red 2011 Tesla Roadster Sport was sold by Shannons auction for $106,000 in Melbourne. With not many examples of this iconic EV left in the country, it’s not uncommon to see them fetch over $100,000.
Having said that, the $349,000 price tag on the orange Roadster shows how rare an immaculate Roadster is around the country.
Back in 2011, the original driveaway price of the Sport version was $A260,535. These produced 215 kW of power and 400 Nm in torque. Such is the example now advertised.
Even outside of Australia, examples of the Roadster are fetching hundreds of thousands of dollars. This was in a full show with the recent container ship finds in China.
These three of the original Tesla Roadster vehicles ended up fetching over $A1.1 million after being found in nearly new condition in a Chinese shipping container.
As years go on and the supply of these classic electric cars dwindles, records on the price they fetch will be expected to be broken.
Regardless of what this example goes for, the Tesla Roadster will be remembered as one of the most important vehicles to ever be built.
Riz is the founder of carloop based in Melbourne, specialising in Australian EV data, insight reports and trends. He is a mechanical engineer who spent the first 7 years of his career building transport infrastructure before starting carloop. He has a passion for cars, particularly EVs and wants to help reduce transport emissions in Australia. He currently drives a red Tesla Model 3.