Tesla dominated the headlines on Thursday thanks to a very cool stunt. In announcing the redesigned Roadster at its October 15 event, the electric car company put some jet fuel in the mix. After driving up a C-shaped ramp on a suction rig until it was upside-down, the Roadster floated to the ground on rocket boosters. We also learned that the new sports car is targeting a 2028 production window and that it will cost $250,000 to reserve the "Thrust" trim level with cold-gas thrusters. "We enter production in 2028," Musk said during the event. "Actually, for real."

If you're feeling a bit of deja vu, don't worry — you're firmly within your faculties. This is not the first time Tesla has announced the second-generation Roadster, and the company hasn't exactly drawn attention to that fact with this re-announced version. Still, the question on many minds is whether this is another paper launch for Tesla's embattled second-gen sports car.

The first Roadster was a milestone for Tesla in its early days. Released in 2008 and produced in very limited numbers, the car was ideated by one of Tesla's original founders, Martin Eberhard, before current CEO Elon Musk had bought Eberhard and his partner, Marc Tarpenning, out of the company. It was the idea of the Roadster which initially drew Musk to the fledgling startup in 2004 and prompted his initial investment in the company. He would go on to oversee the production of that sports car. Crammed inside the chassis of a Lotus Elise, it was truly impressive at the time to see a battery-powered vehicle able to reach 244 miles on a charge.

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