The tesla roadster started with a Lotus Elise body and frame. The S was the first tesla that was entirely their design (AFAIK). EDIT: actually, from looking at

The tesla roadster started with a Lotus Elise body and frame. The S was the first tesla that was entirely their design (AFAIK). EDIT: actually, from looking at [0], Tesla says it was based on licensed Lotus tech, but most definitely not an electrified Elise. TIL. [0] - https://www.tesla.com/blog/lotus-position https://www.tesla.com/blog/lotus-position