Roadster - fun and freedom on wheels
Freedom, sunshine and just having fun - hardly any car promises that like the roadster. Daring and fast, without windows and without a top, it is above all one thing: for decades the dream of many fans and enthusiasts of motorized fun on wheels. Sporty with a flat body, but without much comfort, this car serves no purpose. It is a vehicle that no one needs and yet everyone wants to have - a pure fun vehicle for pure driving pleasure!
Roadster - what defines this car?
The term Roadster, derived from the English "road" originally defines an open two-seater sports car with a low seating position close to the asphalt of the road. It is a car of a special purist type, equipped with only one emergency top, which can be completely removed. The only protection against the wind is a small folding window - the so-called Brooklands window. Comfort takes a back seat in favor of low weight and pure driving pleasure. Other characteristic features are a long snout, a short rear end and low-cut doors. Ultimately, however, these features are not set in stone, because DIN standard 70010 for roadsters is broad:
- Body with an open superstructure, possibly a roll bar
- fixed or flexible roof with at least 2 positions - closed, open or removed
- at least 2 or more seats in one row of seats
- 2 or 4 side doors
- 2 or more side windows
What distinguishes a roadster from a convertible?
Roadsters are also convertibles. However, not all convertible versions with an open top are roadsters. In the original sense, the roadster has its own designed chassis with the simplest top. The body of a convertible, on the other hand, is usually based on that of a coupe variant and has a soft top made of fabric or a hard top made of PVC that can be folded back and disappears under a soft top flap.
Roadster - a car in the throes of automotive history
Not only the technology but also the defining features of the roadster have changed throughout the history of the automobile. At the beginning of the 20th century, cars became increasingly luxurious, while the roadster was a deliberately simple two-seater with rear-wheel drive, no soft top and no windshield. Comfort takes a back seat in favor of low weight and pure driving pleasure.
Roadster classics that have significantly shaped the term
The term roadster was coined in particular by British manufacturers such as Triumph, Jaguar and MG. Italian carmakers such as Alfa Romeo, Fiat or Ferrari usually refer to their cars with flat bodies as spiders or speedsters. Likewise, sports cars such as Porsche Boxter or Mazda MX-5 are coveted classics that perfectly embody the original definition. However, front-wheel drive cars like the Audi TT and models with steel roofs like the Mercedes Benz SLK and BMW Z4 now also fall into the general vernacular of a roadster.
Mercedes Roadster - Gullwing, Pagoda & Mercedes SLK
The car manufacturer from Stuttgart has also been playing at the forefront with its roadster models from the very beginning. One of the most sought-after and valuable roadster classics from Mercedes Benz are models like the Mercedes 300 SL Gullwing with the internal model series designation W 198, the SL Pagoda W 113 and the Mercedes SLK. With the 300 Super Leicht "SL", Mercedes re-entered motorsport in 1952 and delivered the dream car for generations. The lattice tube frame weighs only 50 kilograms, the entrance is very high, which is why the doors are mounted on the roof - hence the nickname "gullwing". Mercedes launched the 190 SL somewhat later. The gullwing's image and design features radiated onto the roadster. With 105 hp and a top speed of 170 km/h, its performance is rather mediocre compared to the - much more expensive - Roadster Gullwing. This is followed by the 230 SL, 250 SL and 280 SL, which are nicknamed the "Pagoda" due to their inwardly curved hardtop in the shape of the roofs of Asian temples. With this filigree solution, the Pagoda is a typical representative of 1960s design. In the mid-90s, another model series entered the international arena. The Mercedes SLK - sporty, light and compact is a roadster that is smaller and less expensive than the SL models.
Even if the borders to the convertible become more and more blurred, it is the purness and simplicity of the roadster that embodies that feeling of freedom and fun on wheels.
Do you also own such a fun vehicle and are looking for spare parts for it? Then you have come to the right place. In the Niemöller online store under the heading "Spare Parts" you will find a large number of accessories and spare parts for Roadsters and other vehicle types.
