If you weren’t expecting any renditions of the Model 3 today, then you probably also thought that Tesla’s introduction on Thursday night wasn’t that big of a deal for the automotive crowd.

In that case, we’ll just inform you that, as of now, Tesla have received 198,000 orders for a car that won’t be out for at least 18 months…

What’s more interesting about the new compact luxury car from Tesla is that, the company’s co-founder and CEO, Elon Musk, who is on the verge of acquiring a similar status among tech fans as Steve Jobs, has said that the Model 3 will form the basis for the successor to the brand’s first car, the Roadster.

Musk has promised to bring the new Roadster – name not confirmed yet – in 2019 with a speed mode called “maximum plaid”, a cheeky reference to Mel Brooks’ 1987 comedy Spaceballs.

If Tesla’s previous automotive endeavors are any indication – and it doesn’t get sidetracked by the Model 3’s introduction, then we should see a prototype of the next Roadster within the next two years, but until then, our friendly artist Theophilus Chin, has taken the new EV and with a little help from what we think is a Mercedes-Benz SLC/SLK hidden below, morphed it into a two-door sports car.

Rendering courtesy of Thephilus Chin

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