Roadster (car)

A roadster (also spider, spyder) is an open two-seat car with emphasis on sporting appearance or character.

The term "roadster" originates in the United States, where it was used in the 19th century to describe a horse suitable for travelling.

[5] In 1916, the United States Society of Automobile Engineers defined a roadster as: "an open car seating two or three.

Although not a true 2 passenger vehicle, it featured upgraded suspension and other equipment to classify it as a "sporty car."

Some of the earliest race cars were purpose-built or stripped for the greatest speed, with minimal or no bodywork at all, leading to a body style aptly named 'speedster'.

After removing most of the body (and fenders), an empty platform on the ladder-frame chassis was mounted with one or two seats, a gas tank, and spare tyres.

[11] The immediate predecessor to the roadster was the runabout, a body style with a single row of seats and no doors, windshield, or other weather protection.

Another predecessor was the touring car, similar in body style to the modern roadster except for its multiple rows of seats.

By the 1920s roadsters were appointed similarly to touring cars, with doors, windshields, simple folding tops, and side curtains.

The last roadster to complete the full race distance was in 1965, when Gordon Johncock finished fifth in the Wienberger Homes Watson car.