It may plug into the wall, but the sensational Tesla Roadster is nobody’s golf cart. The battery-powered two-seater—jointly designed with British sports-car maker Lotus—is already the literal and figurative buzz of the industry, but Tesla now ups the ante with the even more enticing Sport model. Adding $19,500 to the car’s $109,000 base price, Sport specification juices the 248-hp electric motor to a stout 288 hp and adds a revised suspension with driver-adjustable dampers and antiroll bars. Black-finished forged alloy wheels with Yokohama ultrahigh-performance tires round out the package. While the standard car zaps to 60 mph in 3.9 seconds, the Sport accomplishes the feat in a mere 3.7 seconds—for just pennies per mile. As ever, ownership requires patience: The waiting list is more than 1,100 names long, and the time from order to delivery, according to the company, is at least a year. Of course, buyers currently awaiting delivery of a standard Roadster are welcome to cough up the extra cash and upgrade to the Sport.
Pros: The world's first, true all-electric sports car.
Cons: Getting in and out requires some degree of flexibility.
