When you tell people that you drive a Tesla, they probably get excited to see your enormous center display and for the chance to experience Autopilot. They may also ask you to take them for a ride with Ludicrous Mode engaged. However, if you were one of the people who bought Tesla's original model, the Roadster, you don't have any of those features. In fact, the Tesla Roadster was based on a Lotus Elise and had some very interesting quirks. Like the Model S and Model X, the Roadster has a touchscreen, but it's one of the smallest we have ever seen.
When you look at the Roadster, as Doug DeMuro recently did, it is amazing to think that Tesla made it so far. Its first model was filled with interior pieces from the Lotus' parts bin and it even uses trunk latches from Ford. You can't even charge it without using an adapter and Tesla's own superchargers won't work with the car.
Looking back on the Roadster without the benefit of hindsight, we probably would have predicted the company would fail just like other hopeful eco automakers like Fisker and Coda. Amazingly, Tesla has grown far beyond its first model to become one of the most disruptive entrants into the auto industry of all time.