During Tesla's jaw-dropping demonstration of a flying supercar on Thursday evening, the next-generation Roadster drove upside down, jumped over a series of cars, and executed a mid-air barrel roll. After years of hype, the company answered one big question on the minds of those who have followed the Roadster saga: Yes, this car will have SpaceX thrusters and be able to fly, at least to some degree.

But the event left one important question unanswered: Will the Roadster actually be street legal? The way Tesla CEO Elon Musk danced around the topic was telling.

"Like, this will be an actual car that's on the roads," Musk told the crowd gathered at a SpaceX facility in Waco, Texas, just after its compressed-air thrusters catapulted it over Tesla's vehicle lineup. Then he walked that back slightly.

"You know I’m not necessarily sure it’s legal in all jurisdictions. But there will be such a car that someone can own," he added. That distinction is important, as you can buy an EV with a suction system already to own for use on a private track. Making one actually legal to drive on public roads, however, is a whole different challenge.

Towards the end of the presentation, one audience member yelled out asking if it was street legal. Musk's response: "Yeah, yeah. Depends on your street. But it'll be a viable car."

Tesla has billed the Roadster as the last hurrah for its human-driven cars before transportation goes autonomous. It's equipped with a fan that can suck the car to the ground so hard (with 2Gs of force) that it can drive upside down.

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