Roadster (automobile) - Design History

Design History

In 1916, the Society of Automobile Engineers defined a roadster as: "an open car seating two or three. It may have additional seats on running boards or in rear deck." Additional seating in the rear deck was known as a rumble seat or a dickey seat. A roadster is still defined as an open car with two seats.

Roadster bodies were offered on automobiles of all sizes and classes, from mass market cars like the Ford Model T and the Austin 7 to extremely expensive cars like the Cadillac V-16, the Duesenberg Model J, and even the Bugatti Royale. They are popular with collectors, often valued over other open styles.

Traditional roadsters
Specifications of a Stearns 45 roadster
1926 Ford Model T roadster
1932 Duesenberg J Murphy-bodied roadster
Esders Roadster body on a replica Bugatti Royale chassis
1949 MG TC

Traditionally, roadsters did not have windows; in some instances, they did not have doors. A few manufacturers and fabricators still offer roadsters that meet the strict description. These include Morgan, with the windowless Roadster, Caterham, with the doorless Seven, and Ariel, with the bodyless Atom. Despite these examples, the traditional roadster has been superseded by two-seat convertibles with side windows that retract into the doors. These convertibles, including the Alfa Romeo Spider, MGB, and Triumph TR4, have been accepted as roadsters. The term "roadster" now covers all two-seat convertibles, including those with power tops or retractable hardtops.

Modern roadsters
1973 MGB
Alfa Romeo Spider
BMW Z1 limited production roadster
First generation Mazda MX-5
A 2001 BMW Z3 2.5i Roadster
Honda S2000 Roadster
Third generation Mazda MX-5 with power retractable hard top (PRHT)

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