Roof-down thrills
For well over a century, roadsters have appealed to motorists who enjoy both the art and craft of driving, and the experience of doing that with wind rushing past their heads.
Sometimes the point of owning a roadster is simply to enjoy being part of the scenery, but in many cases the appeal also includes being able to pass through that scenery at a vigorous pace.
Here we’re taking a look, in alphabetical order, at 29 pre-2000 members of that subset, all of which can be described as fast, either because they were powerful, or because they were light, or sometimes because they were both.
To clarify, we’re defining a roadster as a two-seat or 2+2 car which can be driven with the roof down (if it has a roof at all), though more specific descriptions are also possible.
1. AC Cobra
Depending on which of various possible engines was fitted, the AC Ace could be a fast roadster in its own right.
The Cobra, suggested by US racer Carroll Shelby, was something else again, thanks to its vastly greater power output.
The smaller of the two engines, measuring either 4.3 or 4.7 litres, was Ford’s Windsor V8, and this was later joined by the same manufacturer’s 7-litre FE unit.
If the Ace was spritely, the Cobra was a monster, and despite its British origins it became, and remains, a high-performance, American automotive icon.
2. Alfa Romeo Spider
Derived from the 105-series Alfa Romeo Giulia, the Spider had an enormously long run for a roadster, remaining in production from 1966-1993.
It featured in the 1967 film The Graduate, though the soundtrack suggested it had a V8 engine when in fact the Spider was only ever powered by Alfa’s famous four-cylinder Twin Cam, available in several capacities.
The Pininfarina styling remained similar throughout the car’s lifetime, but there were three significant changes.
The last of these, introduced in 1990, reversed the aerodynamic modifications of the previous decade, thereby restoring the classic look of the earlier models.
3. Allard J2
The J2 was the second model produced by Sydney Allard’s London-based company.
As standard, it was powered by a Ford/Mercury flathead V8, though customers often fitted engines supplied by other manufacturers, notably Cadillac.
The J2 was both an exciting road car and a successful racer, notably finishing third in the 1950 Le Mans 24 Hours.
In 1952, it was replaced by the J2X, which was more or less the same car with a longer nose and revised front suspension.
4. Austin-Healey 3000
The third and last of what have become known as the Big Healeys (distinguishing them from the much smaller Austin-Healey Sprite) was also powered by the biggest engine.
It wasn’t quite as large as the model name suggested – in this application, the BMC C-series straight-six actually measured 2912cc, some way short of a full three litres.
Otherwise used in not particularly sporty saloon cars, the C-series made the 3000 go very quickly, which helped it to become one of the stars of international rallying in the 1960s.
5. BMW 507
Along with the 503 coupé, the 507 was derived from the 501/502 saloon, and fitted with BMW’s first V8 car engine.
This had made its debut in the 502, but by the time it reached the 507 its capacity had been raised from 2.6 to 3.2 litres.
With strong performance, a beautiful appearance and that V8 soundtrack, the 507 should have been a winner, and perhaps the car which led BMW out of the financial turmoil it suffered from in the 1950s.
Instead, its high price caused potential customers to take their business elsewhere, and it wasn’t until the introduction of the tiny but very successful 700, with its rear-mounted flat-twin engine, that BMW began to recover.
6. BMW Z3 M Roadster
The BMW Z3 was initially sold, from 1995, as a roadster, and later became available as a coupé whose strange, estate-like rear end led to it being nicknamed ‘bread van’.
The version of greatest interest to us here is the M Roadster, whose 3.2-litre straight-six engine (also fitted to the M Coupé) was the largest and, at more than 300bhp, the most powerful in the range.
Some critics felt that the cheaper, more economical and very much slower 1.8- and 1.9-litre Z3s were more enjoyable to drive, but there was no disputing that the M Roadster was both fast and exciting.
7. Caterham Seven
The Lotus Seven was an impressively fast car, not because of its engines (which included, in the earliest days, an 1172cc Ford sidevalve), but because of its clever suspension and lack of weight.
Since taking over production of the Seven more than half a century ago, Caterham has continued with this policy – the 160 model pictured here has a 660cc three-cylinder Suzuki engine – but added another one.
Some Caterhams have been fitted with very powerful Ford, Rover and Vauxhall engines, and these versions have consequently been very rapid, up to the point where their substantial aerodynamic drag makes it impossible to continue accelerating.
A notable example is the supercharged 620R, whose name refers to its power to weight ratio in brake horsepower per ton.
8. Chevrolet Corvette
The first-generation Chevrolet Corvette was unique in having a solid axle rather than independent rear suspension, wearing a glassfibre body and being available only as a roadster.
Launched in 1953, it was at first powered only by a 3.9-litre straight-six engine known as the Blue Flame, which more sportily oriented drivers found disappointing.
In the 1955 model year, Chevrolet introduced its now legendary small-block V8 (then measuring 4.3 litres, though larger capacities soon became available) and fitted it to the Bel Air, the Suburban, the Task Force pick-up truck and, most significantly of all, the Corvette.
Substantially more powerful than the Blue Flame, the small-block was the right engine for the Corvette, and transformed it into the fast roadster it looked like it had been right from the start.
9. Daimler SP250
The SP250 was an extraordinary car for Daimler, or indeed for almost any British manufacturer at the time, to put into production.
Not only was it a sporty roadster, and therefore quite unlike any other Daimler, but it also had a glassfibre body and a punchy, 2.5-litre V8 engine.
Jaguar acquired Daimler in 1960 and the SP250 survived for only four years after that, though it might conceivably have lived longer if it had been more conventionally beautiful.
10. Duesenberg Model J
Produced from 1928-1937, the Model J was one of the most fabulous American cars of its era, notable both for its luxury and its remarkable performance.
The second of those aspects was true even when the 6.9-litre twin-cam straight-eight engine, with four valves per cylinder, was offered in standard form, and yet more so when it was supercharged.
In those days of coachbuilding, many body styles were available, and there were usually four seats, but two-seat roadsters were also built, including the supercharged version pictured here.
This car had a dickey seat in case more than two people absolutely had to be transported in it, but it was hidden most of the time, so we’re quietly ignoring that.
11. Ferrari F50
It seems fair to say that any two-seater with a V12 engine producing more than 500bhp could be described as fast.
In the case of the F50, the engine in question was a 4.7-litre V12 derived from a Formula One unit, and was mounted ahead of the front axle in a carbonfibre monocoque.
During its unveiling at the 1995 Geneva motor show, Ferrari’s then president Luca Di Montezemolo announced that only 349 examples would be built, a process which was completed before the end of 1997.
Ferrari says that the F50 name refers to the company’s 50th anniversary, though what actually happened in 1945 was that Enzo Ferrari added his own name to that of a company which had previously been known as Auto Avio Costruzioni.
12. Ford Thunderbird
Unlike most other Fords with the same model name, the original Thunderbird, available in model years 1955-’57, was a two-seater with either a folding roof or a removable hardtop.
It wasn’t especially sporty, but good performance was guaranteed thanks to the fitment of the Y-block V8 engine, particularly in the few cases where it was supercharged.
Ford soon decided that the two-seat aspect was harming Thunderbird sales, and provided more passenger accommodation in later years, returning to the original layout only for the 11th-generation model of the early 21st century.
13. Honda S500
The S500 roadster of 1963 was Honda’s first passenger car, and its second four-wheeled production vehicle of any kind after the T360 pick-up truck.
In outright terms, it wasn’t fast, but for a car with a 531cc engine it certainly was.
That little twin-cam jewel revved like there was no tomorrow, and produced a phenomenal 44bhp – close to the output of the much larger 1.2-litre pre-crossflow Kent fitted to the Ford Anglia Super of the same period.
The S500 was soon quickly replaced by the still-faster S600, but it was the earlier model (along with the prototype S360, abandoned before it went into production) which established Honda as a manufacturer of fast roadsters.
14. Honda S2000
Although 26 years separate the launches of Honda’s S500 and the S2000, they were conceptually very similar.
The later car was another high-revving roadster, this time with a 2-litre engine whose power output, depending on the exact model and market, was capable of producing close to 250bhp in standard form.
The S2000 remained in production for a full decade, with a significant update in 2004.
15. Jaguar E-type V12
Most Jaguar E-types, including all of them manufactured from 1961 to 1970, were powered by the marque’s straight-six XK engine.
Performance wasn’t exactly a problem even then, but it became better still in 1971, when the Series 3 (available as both a roadster and a coupé) was introduced. This was powered by a 5.3-litre V12.
According to some enthusiasts, the Series 3 is not generally regarded as the finest E-type but, thanks to the V12, it was certainly the fastest.
16. Lamborghini Diablo
Like the Jaguar E-type, the Lamborghini Diablo was built in roadster and coupé forms, and had a V12 engine, but the resemblance doesn’t go much further than that.
The mid-mounted engine in the 1990 replacement for the Countach (which had been in production for nearly two decades) initially measured 5.7 litres, and was later enlarged to 6 litres, in which form its maximum output was not far off 600bhp.
The Diablo didn’t have the Countach’s longevity, but it did survive for more than a decade before being replaced in 2001 by the Murciélago, after 2903 examples had been built.
Most were coupés – the first targa-topped roadster did not go on sale until late 1995.
17. Lotus Elise
The Lotus Elise is another example of a car which was fast despite not being particularly powerful.
Higher outputs became available later but, in its original form, as launched in 1996, the Elise had a Rover K-series engine which produced just 118bhp.
That doesn’t sound like much, and indeed several Ford Fiestas produced more, but it provided plenty of sparkle in a vehicle which weighed little more than 700kg (1543lb).
18. Mazda MX-5
With the exception of the turbocharged Mazdaspeed version, standard MX-5s have never had powerful engines, but they can be made to cover the ground very quickly because they are so nimble.
With the original model (NA), introduced in 1989, Mazda reintroduced the motoring world to the inexpensive, lightweight, two-seat convertible, a type of car which had been almost completely abandoned by the industry.
A second generation came along in 1998, and there have been two more since.
Total production reached one million in April 2016, by which time the Mazda MX-5 was the best-selling roadster there had ever been.
19. Mercedes-Benz 300SL
Inspired by US Mercedes importer Max Hoffmann, the Mercedes-Benz 300SL was essentially the roadgoing version of the W194 sports-racing car.
It was powered by a 212bhp, sturdy, 3-litre, straight-six engine, but it was fast mostly because its tubular frame construction meant it weighed only 1330kg (2932lb), and it handled well due to its almost equal front-rear weight distribution.
From 1954-’57, it was produced as a coupé with gullwing doors, thereby disqualifying the early versions from this list.
However, it was then redesigned as a roadster, and remained on the market in that form until 1963.
20. Mercedes-Benz R107 SL
The success of Mercedes’ R107 SL can be seen in the fact that it was in production from April 1971 until August 1989 (in which time 237,287 examples were built), making it the marque’s longest-running model in history.
Its performance depended very much on which of many available straight-six and V8 engines was fitted.
A 5.6-litre V8, used only in cars sold in Australia, Japan and the US, was the largest but, at 228bhp, not the most powerful.
Instead, the fastest SL of this era had a 5-litre V8 which latterly produced 241bhp.
21. Morgan Plus 8
In 1968, just two years short of six decades after the company was founded, Morgan introduced its first eight-cylinder car.
The Plus 8 very closely resembled the existing Plus 4, but it was powered by the Rover V8 engine, then measuring 3.5 litres but later extended to 4.6.
The car remained in production for longer than the engine did, so Morgan switched to another V8, this time the BMW N62 unit.
In 2018, Morgan marked the Plus 8’s half century by producing a limited run of 50 BMW-engined examples.
22. Panther J72
Although it didn’t look like it, the J72 was mostly produced in the 1970s.
Its retro styling gave it a resemblance to the Jaguar SS100 sports car of the 1930s, but its engines, provided by Jaguar itself, were definitely post-war.
These included 3.8- and 4.2-litre versions of the straight-six XK, but for maximum performance the one to go for was the larger and more modern 5.3-litre V12, which had made its debut in the E-type in 1971.
23. Renault Spider
It’s easy to make comparisons between the Spider and the Lotus Elise, which arrived on the market at about the same time.
In fact, the Renault was significantly heavier, at nearly 1000kg (c2205lb), but the fact that it had the 2-litre, 16-valve engine also found in hot-hatch versions of the contemporary Clio and Megane helped to reduce the performance gap.
The engine and the gearbox it was attached to were both mounted at the rear of an aluminium chassis, which was clothed with glassfibre panels and offered minimal comfort – for example, not all Spiders were even provided with a windscreen.
Production was very brief, ending in 1999, which is perhaps appropriate for one of the most unusual and unexpected cars Renault ever built.
24. Siata 208S
They looked very different, but the 208S was to all intents and purposes the roadster version of the Siata 208CS coupé.
Both were fitted with the Fiat 8V’s 2-litre V8 engine, which produced c125bhp.
For the early 1950s, this was an impressive output, putting the Siata more than 50bhp ahead of the contemporary 2.3-litre Ford Zephyr and Zodiac.
Siata quickly moved on to other things, and built no more 208s of either type after the middle of the decade.
25. Stutz Bearcat
The Stutz Bear Cat was a racer which finished 11th (but, creditably, on the same lap as the leader) in the inaugural Indianapolis 500, held in 1911.
A production model, called Bearcat, soon followed, and before the outbreak of the First World War it had already developed a reputation as an exceptionally rapid, roadgoing two-seater.
The name fell out of use in the 1920s, but it was brought back half a century later for a model which was initially built only as a coupé, though a convertible was subsequently introduced.
26. Sunbeam Tiger
The most obvious answer to the question, “What car was created by fitting a Ford V8 engine into a British roadster at the suggestion of Carroll Shelby?” is of course, “The AC Cobra.”
However, exactly the same process led, not long after the birth of the Cobra, to the Sunbeam Alpine becoming the Sunbeam Tiger.
The largest engine fitted to the Alpine measured just 1725cc, but the Tiger was powered first by a 4.3-litre and then by a 4.7-litre version of the Ford Windsor.
Sunbeam, as part of the Rootes Group, was progressively sold to Chrysler during this period, and that led to the Tiger being abandoned after just three years in 1967.
27. Toyota MR2
The third and final Toyota MR2, which just squeaks into our list because it went into production in 1999, was the only one manufactured solely as a roadster.
Mid-engined like both its predecessors, it wasn’t particularly powerful (c140bhp), but it was also the lightest of the three, weighing just under 1000kg (c2205lb), or about the same as the original Mazda MX-5.
It might not have been anyone’s choice for a drag race, but its sharp handling made it a delight to drive quickly over a (preferably deserted) country road.
28. Triumph TR5
Although it was in production for little more than a year, the Triumph TR5 was more or less an updated TR4, and would be restyled as the TR6 in 1968.
The switch from 4 to 5 involved replacing the earlier model’s 2.2-litre four-cylinder engine with a very much more powerful 2.5-litre straight-six, making this the fastest TR yet by a considerable margin.
The TR250 sold in the US was almost identical to the TR5, except that the fuel-injection system was replaced by carburettors.
29. TVR Griffith
In the 1960s, there were two very powerful TVR models named after Jack Griffith, who built them in the US, but those were both coupés.
The Griffith of the 1990s was a UK-built roadster and, like the earlier models, it was powered by a V8 engine, though one supplied in this case by Rover rather than Ford.
Capacities varied, the highest being 5 litres in the case of the Griffith 500 pictured here.
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