The Tesla Roadster Reinvents Pop-Up Headlights. Sort Of

Elon Musk's new supercar doesn't just fly: it also has pop-up headlights with a movable cover, the kind we haven't seen in a long time

Tesla Roadster (2028)

Photo by: Tesla

By: Fabio Gemelli

Translated by: Jeff Perez

Oct 21, at 8:00am ET

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The new Tesla Roadster doesn’t just have space-age tech, like compressed-air thrusters that make it hop and spin (supposedly), or fans that help keep it glued to the road. It also has something that feels like a throwback to the past.

We’re talking about hidden headlights. They’re not the classic pop-up lights that rise out of the bodywork, a design that has all but disappeared under modern pedestrian-safety regulations. Instead, the new electric supercar hides its low- and high-beam headlights behind a movable cover that drops out of the way when the lights are switched on.

It’s an old idea with a modern twist. Let’s take a closer look.

2028 Tesla Roadster

Photo by: Tesla

'Pop-Down' Headlights Keep The Design Clean

When we talk about hidden headlights, or what we in America call pop-up headlights, we usually mean lights that mechanically or electrically rise out of the bodywork when switched on. The design disappeared from cars like the first-generation Mazda MX-5 Miata and eventually went away altogether in the early 2000s, with the end of the Lotus Esprit and Chevrolet Corvette C5.

The new Tesla Roadster takes a different approach, which its creators call pop-down headlights. In a video interview with Top Gear, Tesla chief engineer Lars Moravy and designer Franz von Holzhausen show how it works: The high- and low-beam headlights sit behind a panel that drops down when the lights are switched on.

Rather than having the lights pop up from the hood, Tesla keeps them tucked away behind the front bodywork. It’s a subtle difference, but one that helps preserve the Roadster’s sleek, uninterrupted front end.

2028 Tesla Roadster

Photos by: Tesla

2028 Tesla Roadster

Photos by: Tesla

Even Slimmer Than The Cybertruck

The idea started with the Cybertruck’s headlights, which measure just 0.8 inches tall. The Roadster takes things a step further, with even slimmer lights tucked behind a small movable panel. It’s a clever way to keep the front end clean and minimalist, in line with the rest of Tesla’s electric supercar.

So, the classic pop-up headlight makes a comeback, right? Well, sort of. Tesla has reworked the nearly extinct design into something more modern, with a setup that could also improve aerodynamics when the lights are concealed.

The concept of hiding headlights behind movable bodywork isn’t entirely new, though. Other cars have used similar setups, with fixed headlights concealed behind panels that move out of the way when needed.

2028 Tesla Roadster

Photo by: Tesla

A Long History Of Hidden Headlights

One of the more recent examples is the Ferrari Daytona SP3, which uses a movable eyelid to partially cover its headlights. But one of the cars with a setup most similar to the new Roadster’s appeared decades earlier: the 1992 Jaguar XJ220, which featured a front-hinged panel that dropped down to reveal the headlights.

Looking further back, plenty of other cars experimented with headlights hidden behind movable covers, including the Alfa Romeo Montreal, second-series Iso Grifo, Iso Rivolta Lele, and Aston Martin Bulldog concept. American automakers also embraced the idea, with examples spanning from the 1940s through the 1970s.

Those cars included the 1942 DeSoto, Buick Riviera, Dodge Charger, Mercury Cougar, Lincoln Continental, and Chevrolet Camaro RS, among others.

An Old-School Idea With A Futuristic Twist

Tesla's pop-down headlights are a reminder that automotive design rarely moves in a straight line. Elements that once seemed outdated can find a second life when engineers approach them from a different angle.

What do you think?

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The Roadster takes the spirit of the classic hidden headlight and adapts it to a modern supercar, trading bulky pop-up mechanisms for a more discreet, integrated solution. Whether the system makes it to production exactly as shown remains to be seen.

But if these headlights make the cut, they'll give Tesla's electric supercar one more unusual detail that connects its futuristic design to automotive history.