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Pour faire connaître notre Roadster en Europe un de nos angles est donc de le présenter à l’occasion des plus grands évènements de sport automobile en Europe. On insiste ainsi sur le fait
que cette voiture n’est pas une punition, c’est une voiture raison et surtout une voiture passion qui va convaincre les plus réfractaires à la motorisation électrique de ses attraits.
French Prime Minister François Fillon
Que rêver de mieux alors que les 24 Heures du Mans, haut lieu de pratique du Sport automobile et surtout une course qui est le fleuron des technologies automobiles, pour présenter le Roadster ?
Notre épopée sarthoise a donc commencé sur les chapeaux de roues Jeudi 19 juin, avec une conférence de presse retentissante, et surtout une présentation de notre bolide directement dans les pit stops alors que les ingénieurs des teams en compétition s’afféraient sur les voitures. Quel n’a pas été notre plaisir ce premier jour de présenter la voiture aux légendes du Sport Auto que sont Don Panoz ou encore Henri Pescarolo.
Ce premier jour au Mans fut aussi l’occasion de montrer la voiture assemblée à l’équipe de Sotira, la société française qui fournit les panneaux de carrosserie en fibre de carbone au Roadster, et notamment à son président et passionné d’automobile dans l’âme, Jean Py.
Le second jour au Mans fut tout aussi exaltant car nous participions à la grande parade des pilotes, et présenter la voiture à plus de 200 000 personnes en furie dans les rues du Mans était une expérience inoubliable. Et l’arme imparable des speakers pour obtenir l’adhésion du public à notre passage était bien évidemment que l’ensemble de notre carrosserie est faite dans la région du Mans, ce qui prouve par la même l’excellence de cette Région dans le domaine. La parade fut aussi l’occasion de présenter la voiture à Olivier Panis qui nous suivait avec l’ensemble du team Oreca.
Samedi jour de course était à n’en pas douter l’apothéose de cette épopée mémorable, avec tout d’abord Nicolas Lapierre, pilote Oreca qui n’était pas en condition pour courir les 24 heures du fait d’un méchant virus, qui a accepté de présenter le Roadster lors d’un tour de circuit qui restera dans les mémoires, aux quelques 200 000 spectateurs déjà présents à 11h00. Un tour de circuit magique avec VP12, un de nos prototypes dédié au marketing et à l’ingénierie, et qui non content de venir chatouiller les véhicules à moteur à combustion présents également sur le circuit (dont je tairais les noms même sous la torture !) est quand même monté à 210 km/h compteur avec Nicolas au volant !
Piqués au vif, Darryl Siry, Vice-président et Aaron Platshon Responsable du développement Europe de Tesla, y sont également allés de leur tour de circuit ! Mémorable !
La suite de la journée fut à l’avenant et avec en point d’orgue notre rencontre avec Monsieur François Fillon, Premier Ministre Français et Jan Peter Balkenende, Premier Ministre Hollandais qui furent tous deux intéressés au plus haut point de découvrir qu’il existait aujourd’hui sur le marché un véhicule électrique aussi puissant et novateur que le notre.
Le tout restera pour moi et pour Tesla Motors, un moment inoubliable au cœur des mythiques 24 heures du Mans.
Merci encore aux médias présents qui nous ont réservé un chaleureux accueil. Merci à Margot Lafitte pour son enthousiasme, au team Oreca, Raphaël et Marjorie, grand merci à Nicolas Lapierre, à Sora Composites, Jean et Jean Claude, à Cédric, à Christophe et Alain, à Stéphane Barbé, à Classic Automotive et à l’A.C.O.
Grand merci aux photographes et cameramen du Roadster pendant les 24 heures : Eddy Clio, Cedric Pinatel, Christophe Schwartz, Alain Dalbéra, David Peilow, Autodeclics…
Quelques liens vers les blogs et journaux qui ont couvert l’événement :
Nicolas Lapierre avait le coeur gros
Rapide, sexy et silencieuse: Tesla Roadster en essai roulage au Mans
Tesla at 24 Heures du Mans
Tesla Roadster: en prélude des 24h du Mans
Margot Laffite découvre la Tesla électrique
Tesla Roadster at Le Mans
Aaron Platshon, Product Manager
Simon Rochefort, our French sales and marketing associate, met me in Denmark at the conclusion our stints in Oslo and Copenhagen to drive to Le Mans with the Roadster in tow. Before completing the journey we stopped in Paris for some sleep and charging. The Hotel d’Ville underground parking lot, similar to the infrastructure in Monaco, is set up with designated EV parking spaces and 12A, 230V outlets at the ready.
Darryl Siry and Jean Py
Our host at Le Mans was Jean Py, Chairman of Sora Composites. The carbon fiber body panels on the Roadster come from his company, Sora, based in Mayenne, France near Le Mans. He is an administrator of the race and a driver in the Le Mans Classic race. He obtained access for the Roadster to all of the right places throughout the weekend.
The Friday before the race, the Parade de Pilotes (Driver’s Parade) brings together the most amazing gathering of supercars and other special cars I’ve ever seen in person. About 200,00 people line the streets and building-tops to watch special old and new cars zoom around the city. The Roadster wowed the crowd as it accelerated almost silently between the staged stopping points along the route through downtown Le Mans – the crowd incessantly yelling to us to “BURN OUT!” The Roadster needed to make no apologies among the serious supercar company – we were positioned between a Ferrari Enzo and a Pagani Zonda.
On Saturday, Nicolas Lapierre drove a lap of the circuit in the Roadster with Simon Rochefort as passenger. The video on the left shows him leaving the pits.
Nicolas Lapierre driving the Tesla out of the pits
After shooting the video and jealously watching Lapierre take a lap in the Roadster, Darryl and I venture back down to the paddock area to speak to the swarming crowd. As we arrive, our friend Cedric from Le Blog Auto and colleague Simon Rochefort have negotiated the opportunity to join a group of supercars (immediately in front of us were a Ford GT, an ugly Spyker and a DB9). We were in the car ready to take the track before Cedric finished talking.
VP Darryl Siry, takes the Tesla for a lap at Le Mans
I bet this was the first EV to lap the circuit at Le Mans. There was no passing allowed but we maintained 125+ mph on the back straight and was very quick through the turns (apologies for some of the language in the video)
Back in the paddock area, I notice the Hawaiian Tropic girls starting to gather and point and move in my direction – right past me they go and gather around the Roadster. Their team-leader commands – “OK Ladies, you know what to do!” They assumed their poses and snapped some photos. It turns out the reason for their interest is that the car is green and beautiful and a great image builder - it seems this green movement is ubiquitous. Even the Hawaiian Tropic girls want to be seen as green – I’m strangely okay with this type of green washing.
Posted in the categories: On the road
Thanks for the blog update guys - it was great to see the car down there.
Awesome. The long awaited post about the Roadster at Le Mans.
More pics and links to articles can be found here:
www.teslamotorsclub.com/news-articles-events/1255-tesla-24-heures-du-mans.html
What a lovely sight.. Tesla in Le Mans - I sure hope you enjoyed the laps around the track, I sure wish it’d be me. Now just figure out a stronger gearbox and a fast way to change batterypacks, and you’ll have a racecar….
When are you going to put up a Tesla as a competition prize? It’s the only way I may ever be able to own one! I have Google Alerts, scouring the web for me in case one is ever offered as a prize!
Tesla rules! Tropic girls rule! Keep moving forward Telsa Motors. Also in case you haven’t noticed, we are very excited to have some data on Whitestar.
Another great thread. You guys are absolutely shattering the image of Electric Vehicles. You are definitely appearing at all the right places, and in all the right ways. It’s too bad you only have the black vehicle, as that disguises the form - any light color would do, white being the best, but silver would be eye popping.
I would prefer you didn’t disrespect the competition by calling their vehicle ugly - no one would want to hear you call their child ugly, anymore than you would want to hear your child called ugly. I rather like the Spyker, as it is unique, but admit some of the proportions are off. Fisker has achieve the right proportions in a similar style with the Karma.
thanks for update
nice pics and vids by the way 
On the lap video, it was interesting to hear the sequential whines of the engines ahead of you as they accelerated out of the turn, then hear nothing but wind noise (and a slight engine whine) as your own vehicle accelerated. It gave the impression that the Tesla was not working as hard as the other vehicles to achieve the same acceleration. Again, at top speed, it did not sound like the Tesla was straining the limits of its performance. Is this an auditory illusion? I would appreciate some similar video in the future of the vehicle really being pushed through a series of turns and straightaways with the motor noise isolated from wind noise.
translate.google.fr/translate?u=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.teslamotors.com%2Fblog3%2F%3Fp%3D83&hl=fr&ie=UTF8&sl=fr&sl=en&tl=en&tl=fr
translation in english of the french part
@Jason Hendler - we’ve got some other marketing cars on the way in better and brighter colors. Black is not good for photos. That car is VP12, which I borrowed from engineering. Regarding my dislike of Spyker cars, what can I say - car styling is highly subjective and people are passionate about different cars. It’s OK for me to think a Spyker is ugly and for you to like it.
Darryl,
Thanks for the response, and thanks for all the great work you and your coworkers are doing at Tesla.
Yes, it’s tough having a black car next to the neon Italian vehicles on either side, but the videos driving around the track really convey the experience.
Regarding calling a competitor’s product ugly, I am sure you learned somewhere in your education at Brown about how to be enthusiastic about your own product without being disrespectful towards someone else’s. One might choose more delicate statements like atypical styling, unique proportions, unconventional lines, etc. It’s the difference between being critical and being rude.
@Jason Hendler and Darryl
You mean the white one here? www.facebook.com/video/video.php?v=16432989827
I think that looks cool. Pity about the postage stamp sized video and we’ll have to take your word that the Tesla crossed the line first.
Thanx for the update & the videos were awesome!!!!!
I think it would be cool to see that Astin Martin against the Roadster on a track that has more turns & shorter straightaways on a REAL hot lap!!!!
I think that would level the playing field greatly lol Keep up the great work showing that an electric car is VIABLE!!!!!!!
@Jason Hendler - actually one of the things I disliked most about Brown was the importance placed on being “politically correct.” To me, cars are like art in some respects. It is totally fine for me if different people have different strong reactions to the same thing. I’m sure the guys at Spyker don’t care. By the way I also don’t like the Maserati Quattroporte, which seems universally loved. I think it looks like a Buick with an elongated proboscis. Most car guys and gals I know have strong opinions both ways about all kinds of cars. It’s what makes the car biz fun.
Fshhead,
Yes, the white looks really good, but silver or any of the neon colors that you see on sports cars would do the trick for an autoshow.
Darryl,
Yes, the Maserati Quattroporte does look like a Buick at first glance.
I do like your last sentence “I’m strangely okay with this type of green washing.”
Now you just have to figure out how to get scissor doors onto the Roadster
Pretty nice. I’d love for you guys to visit a bay area track like Sears Point or Laguna Seca (or even Thunderhill) and have a good driver who knows the course take it for a few hot laps. I’d like to see what kind of lap times the Roadster can do.
Keith
Hey Jason,
You do realize that the Roadster DOES come in a variety of colors??
www.teslamotors.com/design/exterior_colors.php
So, Next up: A time for a lap of the Nürburgring. And give the guys at Top Gear one to try out around their test track (Which was made in conjunction with Lotus!)
So, if passing wasn’t allowed, why do you pass that car at 3:57 in the video?
//Bulgarian:
Леле, искам такава кола!!
//
Cool!!!
Give the guys at Top Gear one to try out around their test track
I hope one day I will be able to buy a Tesla.
I had the opportunity to visit the showroom in Los Angeles on July 2. I was excited to make a deposit on a 2009 car only to be find out I didn’t fit. I’m 6′4″ and look right over the top of the windshield. When you are designing the sedan and/or updating the roadster I would volunteer to be used as a model. This is so taller people or more important I can purchase a sedan. Until then I will continue to ride a motorcycle.
Can’t wait to see the roads filled with Tesla cars!!!!!
i hope that you push the cars heavly in your market plan, as you know people tend to forget if they are not reminded that thier are far better options then fuel powered, or hybrids powered car for our next purchase!
The roadster is truly an awesome car but isn’t really an option for the average family. I’ve heard talk of a tesla sedan coming out but can’t seem to find our when, where, or how much it will cost. Could you please fill me in. Thanks!