"A landmark." This was the Autocar verdict on the original Tesla Roadster in 2009.
It was also a landmark test. Although Autocar has reported on electric vehicles since the dawn of motoring, the Tesla Roadster was the first EV to undergo the full, measured, modern road test.
Every test requires some logistical head-scratching, but that one more than most. Would the claimed 220-mile range fit the schedule for photography, road assessment and proving ground tests? The only concession was splitting the measured tests over two days. On day one the Roadster was driven north from the Autocar offices to MIRA proving ground in Warwickshire to complete a series of less power-intensive tests, then recharged overnight. This mid-test charge also ensured optimal conditions for acceleration, which for an EV, we learned, is a cold motor and a warm battery, meaning it went directly from overnight charge to the mile straight.
That the Roadster didn't quite match Tesla's claimed performance (0-60mph in 5.0sec, two-up in the damp, rather than 3.9sec) nor emulate the dynamic suppleness and connection of its Lotus Elise cousin didn't reduce the magnitude of its achievements.
Here was a revolutionary car from a start-up that impressed with its build quality, employed carbonfibre construction and opened our minds to the driving enjoyment that electric power could provide. Our conclusion: "A vehicle for technology and ideas as much as a vehicle in its own right. And it's a landmark."
Even though it was obvious that Tesla's arrival was significant, no one could have predicted just how seismic it would turn out to be.
It was four years until our next Tesla road test, and by then the company had transformed its offering from a remarkable but expensive, niche brand halo into a highly competitive executive saloon. The Model S earned four and a half stars and a segment-leading rating.
Just seven years later, in July 2020, Tesla overtook Toyota to become the most valuable car company (by market capitalisation), and in 2023 it produced the world's best-selling car, the Model Y crossover.
Place a 2009 Roadster alongside a 2026 Model Y and the two could hardly look more different, but in attitude and priorities they have more in common than first appears.
Innovative technology and construction, accessible performance and a commendable focus on mass reduction have been present in (nearly) every Tesla product. Our 2009 comments on the Roadster's ride and handling also ring true of today's cars: agile and connected but not particularly engaging and with a firm ride.
With the Roadster name finally set to rejoin the Tesla range, almost a decade after the Mk2 was previewed in 2017, what, if any, elements of the original Tesla character should read across to this new model?
Even if we ignore the ridiculous optional rocket thrusters, performance is a given, with Elon Musk claiming a 383.5mph top speed. But how it delivers this and how it continues to entertain once you've tired of how uncomfortable that level of acceleration feels is more interesting to me.
My hope is that Tesla channels the spirit of the original Roadster to pioneer performance from innovative motor and battery technology, rather than simply rely on kWh. Similarly, I want to see the ethos that delivered a respectable 1633kg Model 3 saloon to flow into a Roadster that doesn't weigh more than 2000kg.
Running contrary to this is the range of 620 miles promised in 2017. Impressive then, still impressive now but no longer the right strategy for a sports car.
The world has moved on: a fast-charging, smaller battery is the right call now. But dialling back range and battery size (from a planned 200kWh) will also threaten out-of-this-world power figures.
Maybe that's why the launch hype focused on party-piece SpaceX rocket thrusters, with little technical information.
The new Roadster should have all the effortless connectivity and slick, playful software that Tesla is so good at. It could easily nail a super-fast GT brief, but I think that would be a trick missed.
While a growing number of EVs now thrill with more than acceleration, few are sports cars. That's an opportunity, but it will require a tweak to the Tesla DNA: use balanced weight distribution and natural handling dynamics supported by entertaining torque vectoring to be the first great-handling Tesla.
Do so and Tesla could have a landmark driver's car - which would be a far bigger achievement than any headline-grabbing launch thruster.
How the performance EV market has changed
When the second-generation Roadster was announced in 2017, performance EVs were mostly low-volume brand showcases rather than production models (Mercedes SLS AMG Electric Drive, Rimac Concept One, Nio EP9), so the prospect of incredible performance and a 620-mile range in a stylish production car was a typical Musk mic-drop moment.
But nine years later, a lot has changed. Straight-line performance has become commoditised, not least by Tesla itself with the tri-motor Model S Plaid but also through the emerging Chinese EV brands offering 1500bhp-plus. Meanwhile, Rimac, Pininfarina and Lotus have all found ultra-high-priced EVs difficult to sell.
Porsche's 2019 Taycan demonstrated how a successful performance EV is as much about delivering the other attributes buyers expect from a brand as it is about extraordinary acceleration.
Today, Tesla faces a more informed market. A 2000bhp, 2500kg rocketship isn't going to feel like news, especially when the electric next-generation Alpine A110, BMW M3 and Porsche 718 are waiting in the wings.