> ## Content Index > Fetch the complete content index at: https://goodoil.news/llms.txt > Use this file to discover other available public pages before exploring further. # Tesla Unveils the Flying Roadster - URL: https://goodoil.news/tesla-unveils-the-flying-roadster/ - Published: 2026-10-19T23:30:00.000Z - Updated: 2026-10-19T23:29:59.000Z - Description: Kiwi WOF inspector asks it to land first. - Author: Reproduced with permission - Tags: Satire, Transport [**Nigel**](https://pavlovapost.co.nz/tesla-flying-roadster-kiwi-wof?ref=goodoil.news) *Nigel is the founder, editor-in-chief, and lead writer at Pavlova Post, a New Zealand satire publication covering national news, local chaos, weather drama, politics, transport mishaps, and everyday Kiwi life – usually with a generous layer of exaggeration.* Murray has inspected cars for 30 years. He’s dealt with bald tyres, rusty sills, missing seatbelts and one bloke who tried to explain that his brake lights only worked when he wasn’t looking. Now Tesla has unveiled a car that can launch itself into the air, and Murray has discovered something missing from his WOF manual. There isn’t a single bloody instruction for what to do when the customer arrives through the roof. ### **The car can fly. The paperwork hasn’t caught up.** Tesla demonstrated its second-generation Roadster on Thursday at a SpaceX facility in Texas, using cold-gas thrusters and a suction system to perform short jumps and manoeuvres in mid-air. According to an Associated Press report published by 1News on Saturday, the company plans to begin consumer production in 2028. There is no final price yet, and Tesla’s reservation terms don’t guarantee when buyers will receive their cars, or even whether they’ll receive one at all. That’s the sort of detail that would normally make a South Canterbury mechanic suspicious, but Murray’s fictional workshop has a bigger problem. At 9.10 on Saturday morning, a customer named Colin rang to ask whether Murray would be able to issue a warrant of fitness for a flying Tesla. “Depends,” Murray said. “Can you bring it in?” “Not until 2028.” “Right. What’s wrong with it?” “Nothing. They haven’t built mine yet.” Murray put down his screwdriver. He’d had customers arrive six months late for a WOF, but this was the first bloke who’d tried to book one two years before taking delivery. “Look, Colin, I need the actual car here to inspect it.” “Could you do a preliminary check from the website?” “No. Otherwise half the cars on Trade Me would have a fresh warrant.” Colin explained that the new Roadster could use rocket-inspired thrusters to lift itself off the ground. Murray had seen the video. He’d also seen enough motorists struggle with a parallel park to feel deeply uncomfortable about giving them another direction to travel. ### **Murray discovers a serious gap in the inspection manual** After the call, Murray looked through the ordinary WOF requirements. Tyres, brakes, lights, seatbelts, steering, suspension and windscreen wipers were all covered. Nothing about landing. He pulled a blank sheet out of the printer and began writing an entirely unofficial supplementary checklist. **FLYING VEHICLE INSPECTION – DRAFT** Under brakes, he added a note asking whether the driver could stop the car while it was in the air. Under indicators, he considered whether there would need to be an extra one for going up. And under suspension, he wrote a question he’d never expected to ask in a professional capacity: *Does the vehicle come down again under its own control, or is that the owner’s problem?* He rang Colin back. “These thrusters. What happens if you activate them inside a garage?” “No idea.” “Well, don’t find out in mine. I’ve only just replaced the roof.” Murray walked outside and looked up at the roller door. It had comfortably accommodated everything from Suzuki Swifts to large four-wheel drives, but he’d never measured how much clearance was needed above a vehicle that might suddenly decide the floor was optional. He got the tape measure out anyway. A customer waiting for a tyre repair watched him measure the door twice before asking what he was doing. “Preparing for flying cars.” The customer looked at Murray, then at the garage roof. “Wouldn’t you be better off leaving the door open?” Murray gave him a long look. “You’re not helping.” ### **The first flight test involves a Holden Colorado** Colin arrived just after lunch, not in a futuristic electric sports car, but in his Holden Colorado. He’d been thinking about the Tesla demonstration all morning. “If they can make that thing jump over traffic, reckon we could do something similar with the Colorado?” Murray folded his arms. “What’s wrong with driving it?” “Nothing. Just thinking it’d be handy getting around the potholes.” “You’re going to need a hell of a jump for some of them.” Colin had already worked out the advantages. No more waiting at roadworks, no more crawling over rough farm tracks and no need to worry about that awful stretch of road that made everything in the glovebox rattle like a cutlery drawer. Murray pointed out that flying over a pothole was one thing. Finding somewhere safe to land afterwards was quite another. “How would you get it down?” “Same way the Tesla does, I suppose.” “You’re putting a lot of faith in something you’ve watched for 30 seconds on the internet.” Colin insisted the idea was worth considering. He’d seen the Roadster perform its airborne manoeuvres and couldn’t understand why the technology couldn’t eventually make its way into an ordinary ute. Murray agreed that it was impressive engineering. He also pointed out that Tesla had spent years developing its car, while Colin had spent the previous weekend trying to fix his ride-on mower with a cable tie. That hadn’t gone particularly well. Eventually, Murray agreed to get the Colorado off the ground for a look. Five minutes later, it was sitting on the workshop hoist. “There you go,” he said. “Airborne.” Colin wasn’t impressed. “It’s not flying.” “Well, neither are you, and that’s probably for the best.” Murray inspected the underside while Colin stood beside the hoist imagining the possibilities. The conversation continued for several minutes before Murray interrupted him. “Before you start worrying about rocket thrusters, you’ve got a rear tyre that’s getting pretty close to needing replacement.” Colin looked offended. “You’re telling me Tesla can make a car fly and you’re worried about my tyre?” “Yes, Colin. Your tyre is currently doing most of the work.” ### **An appointment for a vehicle that might never arrive** By mid-afternoon, Murray had gone from inspecting ordinary cars to worrying about a machine he might never see. A conventional WOF checks roadworthiness. It isn’t an aviation certification, and Murray wasn’t about to pretend that measuring tyre tread suddenly qualified him to approve rocket-assisted flight. The American demonstration didn’t establish whether such a vehicle would be approved for ordinary public-road use in New Zealand, either. For Murray, that raised several practical questions. If the flying version wasn’t approved for the road, what exactly would the customer be bringing in for inspection? If it could perform short airborne manoeuvres, where could anyone legally demonstrate them? And if the car didn’t arrive until 2028, why was he wasting his Saturday afternoon worrying about any of it? He had actual vehicles outside waiting for attention. Colin, unfortunately, wasn’t finished. “Can you put me down for a booking when the Roadster finally comes out?” “When you’ve got one, give me a ring.” “What if it’s delayed?” “Then you’ll have to wait.” “What if it never turns up?” Murray looked at him. “Then you’ll have an exceptionally easy time keeping the windscreen clean.” Colin thought about that for a moment. “So you’re saying I could own a flying car and never have to pay for a WOF?” “No. I’m saying you might end up owning a reservation and nothing else.” “Right. But I could still have the Colorado converted?” Murray slowly removed his glasses. “Colin, we started this conversation because you wanted to get over potholes. You’ve now spent the afternoon trying to turn your ute into a bloody aircraft.” “Just exploring the options.” “Your first option is buying a new tyre.” ### **One final instruction** At closing time, Murray threw his unofficial flying-car checklist into the recycling bin. He had enough trouble keeping up with ordinary vehicle technology without having to learn how to inspect something that could jump over the workshop. He went back to the normal WOF manual, where at least everything was expected to remain on the ground long enough for somebody to examine it. Colin was preparing to leave when he remembered one last thing. “When I finally get the Tesla, should I book ahead?” “Yes.” “And do I drive it in or fly it in?” Murray looked up at the roof he’d only recently finished paying for. “Drive it in, Colin.” “But if I fly it?” “Then you’ll be paying for a new bloody roof before we even start checking the brakes.” ### **Grown-Up Links** - [1News / Associated Press – Watch: Tesla’s new Roadster launches into the air, spins mid-flight (17 October 2026)](https://www.1news.co.nz/2026/10/17/watch-teslas-new-roadster-launches-into-the-air-spins-mid-flight/?ref=goodoil.news) - [TechCrunch – Tesla reveals SpaceX-powered Roadster that flies and falls with style (15 October 2026)](https://techcrunch.com/2026/10/15/tesla-reveals-spacex-powered-roadster-that-flies-and-falls-with-style/?ref=goodoil.news) - [NZ Transport Agency – Warrant of fitness requirements](https://www.nzta.govt.nz/vehicles/warrants-and-certificates/warrant-of-fitness?ref=goodoil.news) This article was originally published by [Pavlova Post](https://pavlovapost.co.nz/tesla-flying-roadster-kiwi-wof?ref=goodoil.news).