Tesla unveils flying rocket car

The second generation Tesla Roadster was unveiled in spectacular fashion with the car, fitted with SpaceX-designed thrusters, flying through the air.

The stunts included the car using its fan design, which sucks the car to the ground, to drive up a huge vertical ramp and then fly back down to the ground with the thrusters.

It also jumped a number of other Tesla vehicles while performing a barrel roll in the air.

The stunts were performed autonomously however once the Roadster enters goes into production, planned for 2028, it will not be a driverless car.

Instead it will be the brand's performance halo, with Tesla spruiking top speed numbers of Mach 0.5, or 380 km/h, and a 0-60mph time of less than a second.

The Roadster will be available in three models – Performance, Thrust and Rocket.

While the fan suction system was demonstrated in an extreme fashion at the launch, its primary function is to give the Roadster what Tesla boss Elon Musk says will be record-breaking cornering ability.

“Now you might say, how often do you want to stick upside down in a car?” said Musk at the launch.

“Maybe not that often, but it actually has this an actual benefit on the track, or just driving, where the downforce of the car means you can corner incredibly well.

"You can corner like it looks like you're breaking physics because the car sticks to the ground so hard.

"So acceleration, cornering, it's going to crush every track record that has ever existed.”