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This article is about the roadster car body style. For the bicycle type, see Roadster (bicycle).

A roadster is a two-seat, open car, traditionally without side windows (possibly with pluggable doortops), so that even with the lightweight convertible top raised the driver and passenger remain exposed to the elements. In modern times, the word is often used to describe a two-seat convertible without fixed window frames, especially a light-weight sports car. Here, the use of the name roadster is more a marketing than a technical one, invoking the feeling of an open-top machine for enjoyment, like those of the past.

Old roadsters

Traditionally, roadster bodies were used on anything from a Ford Model T to a Cadillac V-16. It was a body style favored by those who preferred enjoyment to practicality. Roadster-bodied cars are popular with collectors, and are often valued higher than even other open styles.

Modern roadsters

The roadster name experienced a resurgence in 1990 with the introduction of the Mazda Miata/MX-5. Though not roadsters in the traditional open sense, many manufacturers today offer "roadsters". They can be described as "convertible sports cars" because they stress driving rather than practicality - like sports cars, modern roadsters are two-seaters or 2+2.

While some makes prefer the word Spyder for a completely open-topped vehicle, Italian makes favor the term Barchetta.

Notable modern roadsters are:

• BMW Z4
• Fiat Barchetta
• Honda S2000
• Mazda Miata
• Mercedes SLK
• Porsche Boxster
• Toyota MR-Spyder

See also

• Hot rod
• Sports car
• Convertible
• Spyder
• Cabriolet

This article is based on the article "Roadster" from Wikipedia - the free encyclopedia created and edited by online user community. This article is distributed under the terms of GNU Free Documentation License. Here you find the list of authors of this article. The article can only edited within Wikipedia. Edit this article in Wikipedia.