There are certain things you come to expect when a sportscar gets an upgrade; you know, things like re-mapping the ECU, increasing the boost pressure, heck, even increasing the bore and stroke if it's serious.

Tesla has improved the Roadster (aka 'the' Tesla) with 'a hand-wound stator and increased winding density'. Ah, how times are changing.

More normal improvements over the basic Tesla, for want of a more fitting word, are sticky Yokohama tyres and uprated suspension with adjustable dampers and anti-roll bars. Each buyer can tune them to his or her preference.

The Roadster Sport has 15 percent more power, so the 0-60mph sprint is slashed by 0.2 seconds, to just 3.7 - and we can expect more to come, because "no one at [Tesla] remains satisfied with the Status Quo."

Those are the words of Elon Musk, Tesla's arch overlord, who promises continuous improvement for the Roadster. Oh, and there's a saloon based on the same powertrain coming in 2011.

In the meantime, this Sport version will cost about £88,000 plus VAT in the UK and you can order one now. Tesla has delivered 150 standard Roadsters to customers thus far, but if you're one of the 1,100 people on the waiting list, you can call Tesla and upgrade to this Sport version if you want - and why wouldn't you?

Mark Nichol - 13 Jan 2009