20 stars of the ’90s roadster revival

Back for good

The 1990s saw a burst of new roadsters that offered drivers fresh-air kicks in everything from affordable sports cars to potent and pricey open-tops.

So let’s give them their time to shine with our pick of the stars from the decade that saw the roadster put firmly back on the map and in showrooms, presented in alphabetical order.

1. Alfa Romeo Spider

Alfa Romeo replaced its long-running rear-wheel-drive Spider in 1995 with the all-new front-drive version that shared its platform with the also-new GTV.

This sharp-looking Spider, known as the Type 916 within the company, was just the tonic the Italian firm needed to put it back on the roadster map.

The Spider handled very well and was practical thanks to its effective hood, refinement and decent boot.

It also came with a zingy 2.0-litre four-cylinder engine or Alfa’s superb Busso V6 for 145mph performance. By the time production ended in 2004, Alfa had sold 39,000 Spiders.

2. Alfa Romeo RZ

As the 1990s got into gear, so did Alfa Romeo with its soft-top interpretation of the SZ coupé.

The Roadster Zagato, or RZ for short, came with the same angular styling as the coupé that, when the roof was lowered, accentuated the car’s wedge profile even more.

Alfa’s 3.0-litre V6 engine served under the bonnet and the RZ handled as keenly as the hard-top model.

However, sluggish sales saw only 284 RZs built in a two-year period, with three main colour choices of red, black or yellow, as well as three finished in silver and one car painted white.

3. Audi TT Roadster

Audi might have been later to the party with its TT Roadster in 1999, following on from the stunning coupé’s launch the previous year, but it was a significant car.

It took Audi into battle with not just BMW and Mercedes-Benz, but also Porsche as the German firm sought to move its aspirations further upmarket. It worked a treat and the TT Roadster sold every bit as keenly as the coupé.

At the top of the TT Roadster range was the 3.2-litre V6 model with its dual-clutch transmission, but the pick of the range was the 225 version with quattro four-wheel drive.

Audi also offered the Roadster with front-drive and engines with as little as 148bhp, to lure in buyers who simply wanted the TT’s standout looks.

4. BMW Z3

As controversial as the Z1 in its own way, BMW’s Z3 split opinion with its looks.

It didn’t stop the Z3 from becoming a key player in the roadster market from its 1995 launch, and it covered most driver’s needs with engines from the humble 1.9-litre up to the straight-six 2.8-litre. This was later upgraded to a 3.0-litre unit, while the Z3M used the M3’s 3.2-litre ‘six’.

Good to drive and easy to live with, the Z3 lasted until 2002 and helped pave the way for the M5-based Z8 as BMW embraced retro roadsters. In the end, 279,273 open-top Z3s of all types left the Spartanburg factory in North Carolina, USA.

5. Fiat Barchetta

The Barchetta took Fiat back into a market it had once known well as it launched its new roadster in 1995.

Pert styling and keen pricing made the Barchetta attractive even in the UK where left-hand drive might have been more of a barrier to sales otherwise.

It helped the Barchetta came with a zesty 1.7-litre, 130bhp engine, nimble front-drive handling and enough space for luggage.

Built by Maggiora for Fiat, the Barchetta was a cracking affordable sports car that remained in production until 2005.

6. Ginetta G33

It’s something of a mystery why Ginetta had not offered the G33’s formula before this car’s 1990 arrival.

After all, the basic body was similar to the G27’s and the Rover V8 had been around for more than two decades. Regardless of this, the G33 was an appealingly raw 140mph roadster.

The 4.0-litre Rover V8 in a car weighing a mere 874kg meant 0-60 rushed by in 5.3 secs. This was all the more impressive for a model that cost only £18,187 at launch, though many found its track-focused driving manners a little too raucous for the road.

7. Honda S2000

Honda knows how to party when it wants to and the S2000 was built to celebrate the company’s 50th anniversary.

Unlike other contemporary fast Hondas that used front-wheel drive, the S2000 had a rear-drive chassis with a rev-hungry 237bhp 2.0-litre, four-cylinder engine up front. At the time, it had the highest power output per litre of any naturally aspirated production engine.

While not quite a rival to the Porsche Boxster in handling, the S2000’s engine gave it an addictive edge when the revs soared past 6000rpm and Honda’s VTEC variable valve timing kicked in to the 900rpm red line.

8. Jaguar XK8 Convertible

Jaguar did not repeat the mistake of the XJ-S by not offering a convertible from launch for its new XK8 in 1996.

Sleek styling meant the drop-top two-seat model looked every bit as svelte as the coupé, and the two shared the same V8 engines that included the supercharged XKR version.

The XK8 Convertible comfortably outsold its coupé sister by two to one, with 60,655 Convertibles of all types built compared to 29,409 coupés.

This was helped massively by the XK8 roadster’s appeal to customers in the important US market.

9. Lotus Elan

Lotus may have revived the Elan name in 1989, but its roadster for the 1990s failed to revive the company’s fortunes. It lost money on every one of the 3855 cars sold to 1992.

There was then a two-year gap before a further 800 Elans were made under Bugatti’s ownership of the Hethel firm.

Business maladies aside, the Elan was a great compact roadster that championed front-wheel drive. The turbocharged version was quick for the time, with 0-60mph in 6.5 secs and a 136mph top speed.

10. Lotus Elise

One of the seminal small open-top sports cars that defined the ’90s is the Lotus Elise.

After being stung by the Elan, the company went right back to basics with the approach to driving and equipment – even carpet was an option for the basic Elise.

Under the skin, however, the Elise was anything but basic with its bonded chassis made from extruded aluminium.

The light, revvy Rover K-series 1.8-litre engine worked a treat in the Elise and was soon offered in ever-more potent forms. In its five-year run, Lotus sold 10,619 Series 1 Elises.
 

11. Mazda MX-5

Although launched in 1989, the Mazda MX-5 was very much the car that defined the ’90s roadster revival.

Its looks paid homage to the 1960s Lotus Elan, as did the simple twin-cam 1.6-litre engine and rear-drive layout.

Although not especially quick, the MX-5’s handling was a joy and drew in buyers in huge numbers.

The first-generation MX-5 sold a total of 421,107 cars, and the Mk2 model that arrived in 1998 with fixed headlights increased that tally by around 350,000 cars, to make the Mazda the world’s best-selling sports car.

12. Mercedes-Bensz SLK

At the same time as rivals BMW and Porsche were launching their roadsters, Mercedes-Benz offered its view of what a two-seat open-top should be.

The SLK was less sporting than its key competitors, but it had an ace in the shape of its folding metal roof. It turned the convertible into a coupé, and vice versa, at the press of a button.

Mercedes further distanced itself from its rivals with the supercharged 230K model. It gave decent performance, but it was better suited to the automatic transmission than the maker’s notchy manual.

In 2000, a V6 version arrived and Mercedes also offered the potent 349bhp SLK32 AMG from 2001. By the time R170 SLK production wrapped up in 2004, 309,262 of Mercedes’ small roadster had been snapped up.

13. MGF

The first all-new MG in 15 years, the MGF made its debut in 1995 and immediately proved it was worthy of the badge.

Affordable and fun, and it came with a simple canvas roof that could be dropped or raised in seconds. This was what MG fans had been waiting for.

The mid-engined Rover K-series engine worked a treat in the MGF, and you could choose between the standard 117bhp model or the 143bhp motor with its VVC variable valve timing.

Updated in 2002 to the TF, this later car did without the F’s Hydragas suspension and sales finally stuttered to a halt in 2011 with 77,269 cars produced.

14. MG RV8

With the MGF’s launch still some way off, Rover spotted a chance to get back on the roadster map with a resurrected MGB in the shape of the RV8.

It offered 1990s buyers what had not been available to MGB customers in the form of a factory-built V8-powered roadster – the 3.9-litre Rover V8 meant 0-60mph in 6.0 secs and a 135mph top speed.

While the RV8 gave MG enthusiasts hope, the car drove more like a 1970s roadster than its ’90s competition. Added to this was a list price starting at £26,500 in 1993, so only 1982 were built by the time production halted in 1995.

15. Porsche Boxster

Often cited as the car that saved Porsche, the Boxster’s significance cannot be underestimated.

Developed alongside the new water-cooled 996 generation of 911, the two shared everything from the windscreen forward.

However, the Boxster was mid-engined and had prices pitched well below its illustrious sibling’s that had buyers flocking to Porsche showrooms.

As soon as the first 2.5-litre car was on sale, customers were asking for more power. Porsche duly obliged with the 3.2-litre S in 1999. There was also an upgrade of the standard engine to 2.7 litres for 2000.

This first Boxster generation went on to sell 164,874 cars, to put the company firmly in profit.

16. Scimitar Sabre

The Reliant Sabre deserved much better than to serve as the last of the sports-car line from this British manufacturer.

Based around the earlier SS1 two-seat roadster, the 1992 Sabre has smoothed out, handsome styling and a punchy 1.8-litre Nissan turbo engine as an alternative to the wheezy Ford 1.4-litre CVH motor, that was itself replaced by the 1.4-litre Rover K-series engine.

With the Nissan engine, the Sabre was good for 0-60mph 7.5 secs and 126mph to easily outdo a Mazda MX-5. However, the Sabre had fallen off roadster buyers’ radars and it bowed out in 1996 with only a handful ever made.

17. Renault Sport Spider

The Sport Spider was not a sales success, but it showed Renault was serious about its performance division offshoot.

Using the 148bhp 2.0-litre engine from the Clio Williams, the Sport Spider was decently quick thanks to an all-up weight of 930kg to give 0-60mph in 6.5 secs and 131mph a top speed.

Production ended in 1999 after 1685 Sport Spiders had been made at Alpine’s factory in Dieppe. Customer resistance to this stripped-out model hampered sales, though all 96 cars officially sold in the UK came with full windscreens, rather than the original wind deflector.

More importantly, the Sport Spider paved the way for the Clio V6 and 172 models for keen drivers.

18. Suzuki Cappuccino

If there was a spiritual successor the MG Midget for the 1990s, it was Suzuki’s tiny Cappuccino.

Designed to meet Japan’s strict kei car regulations, the diminutive size of this roadster didn’t stop it from being fun because there was a turbocharged 657cc three-cylinder engine with 63bhp on tap.

The rear-wheel-drive layout of the Cappuccino also helped it handle in a similarly agile and enjoyable way to an MG Midget.

Unlike the MG, the Suzuki’s targa-panelled top and fold-down rear section were water-tight when raised, and the Cappuccino was very well put together.

19. Toyota MR2

After the targa-roofed options for the first two generations of MR2, the Mk3 that arrived at the tail end of the decade in 1999 was a proper roadster.

Like its predecessors, it had a mid-engined layout with a willing 138bhp 1.8-litre four-cylinder motor. This gave 0-60mph in 7.6 secs and 130mph flat out.

More importantly, the third iteration of the MR2 handled and steered superbly to make it a better driver’s car than the Mazda MX-5.

The simple roof worked very well, but the limited luggage room behind the seats put some off.

20. TVR Griffith

Under Peter Wheeler’s ownership, TVR’s business was based on muscular, raw roadsters. This reached it zenith in the 1990s with the arrival of the curvy Griffith.

It took the Blackpool firm from being an outlier to a central player at the upper end of the roadster market, and it inspired the rest of TVR’s cars for the 1990s.

Originally launched with 240bhp 4.0-litre or 280bhp 4.3-litre Rover V8 power, the Griffith’s production was interrupted for a year in 1992 while the company launched the more affordable Chimaera.

The Griffith then re-emerged in 1993 with a 340bhp 5.0-litre V8 to deliver 0-60mph in 4.8 secs and a 161mph top end. Sales totalled around 2300 Griffiths, which made it a runaway success in TVR terms.