Tesla Roadster 1:18 model costs $250 but is a CAD copy of the real deal

The Tesla Roadster 2.0 is due on sale sometime next year. Hordes of folks look forward to the first road tests, anxious to find out if the production Roadster can back up the claims made for it two years ago. For anyone who needs a refresher, the stats are: Three motors and “7,376” pound-feet of torque, 0-60 miles per hour in 1.9 seconds, 0-100 mph in 4.2 seconds, the quarter-mile in 8.9 seconds, top speed beyond 250 mph. The icing and cherry are delivered by a 200-kWh battery pack and a 620-mile range. Heady stuff, and that’s all before the SpaceX options package that could deliver higher performance. So until the real-deal Roadster 2.0 arrives, perhaps a scale model can ease the hunger. Tesla commissioned a 1:18-scale metal facsimile, and oversaw production that started with the same CAD production drawings used for the actual car.

The two-pound display piece is 9.9 inches long, 4.5 inches wide, and 2.8 inches high. It contains more than 180 metal and plastic parts, plus genuine carpet in the cabin and trunk. The tinted targa top can be removed and stored in the back, the doors and trunk open, the steering wheel turns a set of center-lock alloys wrapped in real rubber. And while Roadster 2.0 Founders Edition customers will have to come up with $250,000 to claim ownership of one of the first 1,000 cars, this die-cast model will only set you back $250, the same price as every other Tesla die-cast model. This is one of the few instances you’ll hear of the Tesla being a bargain, as the LiveCarModel site sells the same car, called the “1/18 Official Dealer Edition Tesla Roadster (Red)” for $347.95. 

If you made room in your heart and trophy case for more Tesla you can’t have yet, the automaker’s shop also offers the Semi. This one’s in 1:24 scale, weighs 3.3 pounds and stands 6.7 inches high, also with opening doors, a finished interior, and turning wheels. With truck production slated for next year, this model’s also a bargain relative to the real thing, costing $250 against the Tesla Semi’s price of either $150,000 or $180,000.