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 |
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Specifications of a Stearns 45 roadster
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1926 Ford Model T roadster
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1932 Duesenberg J Murphy-bodied roadster
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Esders Roadster body on a replica Bugatti Royale chassis
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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 Despite these examples, the traditional roadster has been superseded by two-seat convertibles with side windows that retract into the doors.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 |
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BMW Z1 limited production roadster
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First generation Mazda MX-5
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A 2001 BMW Z3 2.5i Roadster
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Third generation Mazda MX-5 with power retractable hard top (PRHT)
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