What was the top speed of the original Tesla Roadster?

The top speed of the original Tesla Roadster was 125 mph.

The first-generation Roadster used a single-speed gearbox and an electronically limited top speed of 125 mph. Tesla chose that limit partly to protect the drivetrain and manage battery demands while still delivering sports-car performance. Its electric motor supplied immediate torque, giving the Roadster rapid acceleration even though it did not use a conventional multi-speed transmission.

The car was based on the Lotus Elise chassis and was produced from 2008 through 2012. Depending on the version, it could accelerate from 0 to 60 mph in roughly 3.7 to 3.9 seconds, making its 125-mph limit less representative of its low-speed performance than its straight-line acceleration.

The original Roadster is easy to confuse with Tesla’s later Roadster models or with the faster figures sometimes associated with modified cars. This question refers specifically to the first production Roadster, whose factory top speed was electronically capped at 125 mph.