Key facts
- A $50,000 Roadster reservation from November 2017 could be worth $850,000-$900,000 in Tesla stock today.
- A $250,000 Founders Series reservation could be worth $4.3 million in Tesla stock today.
- The second-generation Tesla Roadster is set to be unveiled on Thursday night.
- Sam Altman canceled his Roadster reservation in 2025.
- Marques Brownlee canceled one of his two Roadster reservations after 8 years.
People who paid $50,000 to reserve a Tesla Roadster in November 2017 could have seen their investment grow to between $850,000 and $900,000 if they had invested in Tesla stock instead. The first trading day after the car's unveiling, Tesla shares closed at about $21. Today, at roughly $360, that initial $50,000 reservation would have yielded a gain of over $800,000. A buyer who put down the full $250,000 for a limited Founders Series Roadster would be sitting on approximately $4.3 million in Tesla stock. The second-generation Roadster, first announced nine years ago, is set to be unveiled on Thursday night. Some reservation holders, like OpenAI CEO Sam Altman and YouTuber Marques Brownlee, have canceled their orders due to the long wait.