Open-Air Champions – Best Roadsters Ever Made

Austin Healey Sprite Mk1

The little, bug-eyed Sprite Mk1 is a tiny roadster with two seats, a cramped interior, and a small trunk. It weighs 1500 lbs and is powered by a 943 ccm engine with 45 hp. Yes, we know it sounds like a joke. But, the Sprite Mk1 was an immensely popular roadster back in its day, and people here loved it for its compact size, peppy engine, nice driving dynamics, and pure driving feel. 

BMW Z3

Roadsters became pretty popular in the ’90s, with Mazda Miata showing the way, and all relevant car companies wanted a piece of the action. Using the E36 Compact 3 Series platform and rear suspension out of the old E30 model and covering it with a sexy new open-top body, BMW created the first Z3 model. The result was a stylish convertible with two seats, a lineup of potent four and six-cylinder engines, lightweight, and excellent driving dynamics. The car was significantly more expensive than the Miata but also faster and more luxurious. 

Honda Beat

The spiritual successor of the classic Honda S600 roadster is the ’90s Honda Beat. Introduced in 1991 and sold until 1996, the Beat was a small, elegant roadster with a displacement of just 660 cm and 63 hp. At just 1,656 pounds, it was immensely fun to drive, and over 33,000 were made in the five-year production run. 

Triumph Spitfire

This legendary roadster was introduced in 1962 and powered by a pretty diminutive 1.1-liter four-cylinder engine with 63 hp. Over the years, the power grew to the 1.5-liter engine with 71 hp and more torque, which improved the driving dynamics. Like all other British roadsters, the biggest market was the US, and from 314,000 made, most ended up here. This means the Spitfire is easy to come by and inexpensive to purchase. 

Mercedes SL R129

What do you get when looking for a luxurious and powerful roadster? The mid-’90s SL 600 with V12 engine. Today, those cars are significantly cheaper, but not for long, since more and more people have realized how good the SL 600 is. If you want a bit lower price and maintenance costs, look for a V8-powered SL 500, which is almost as good to drive. 

Mazda Miata

One of the most successful stories in the car industry must be the tale about Mazda’s Miata roadster and how this little car changed the world and became a best-selling open-top model in history, passing the 1 million mark in 2013. The Miata’s secret was simplicity, lightweight, and balance. Mazda didn’t try to invent something new; they just copied the basic concept of a classic British roadster, added modern materials and design, and made the whole thing dependable and agile. With 116 hp from a twin-cam 1.6-liter engine, it may not sound as much, but in a 2,200 lb car, it’s more than enough.

Triumph TR6

If the Spitfire was Triumph’s roadster for the masses, the TR6 was a car for a serious lover of open-air driving and speed. The Spitfire could be considered underpowered despite weighing only 1500 lbs, but the TR6 had decent power and convincing performance straight out of the box. Production ended in 1976 after more than 90,000 were made, and today, TR6 is a popular choice for classic roadster fans who want old-school looks and feel but with decent performance and speed. 

Datsun Fairlady Roadster

One of the most interesting Japanese copies of European cars was a cute and compact Datsun Fairlady Roadster built from 1959 to 1970, also known as Datsun Sports. However, Datsun did more than just copy the British. It gave the little roadster some significant power with the 2.0-liter engine, better handling, and driving dynamics. Most importantly, it guaranteed the quality of the cars, which is something that British examples had difficulties with. 

Alfa Romeo Spider

Introduced in 1966, the Alfa Romeo Spider was an Italian answer to the popularity of British roadsters. Eventually, it became globally popular and became an Alfa Romeo model with the longest production run. While the rest of the roadsters vanished from the American market, Alfa managed to sell Spiders in 1994, which shows how popular this car was here. The engine choices ranged from 1.3 to 2.0-liter four-cylinder with 105 to 130 hp. Earlier cars had carburetors, and later models had fuel injection systems. 

Porsche Boxster

It has been almost 30 years since Porsche introduced this roadster; it is safe to say that the Boxster revolutionized the concept of an open-top fun car and stood the test of time as a future classic that you can own today. The Boxster has a mid-mounted flat-six engine, perfect balance, two trunks, and sublime handling. Since the base 2.5-liter delivers a healthy 200 hp, it makes even the most affordable Boxsters pretty agile, fast, and exciting to drive, especially if paired with a 6-speed manual transmission. 

Fiat 124 Spider

Introduced in 1966 and sold in America until 1985, the Fiat 124 Spider was designed by Pininfarina and built on the 124 Sedan platform. The mechanics were pretty straightforward, with a twin-cam engine, 4-speed manual transmission, and rear-wheel drive. The 124 Spider was one of the more comfortable options, featuring a roomy cabin, big trunk, and good ride quality, so nice examples are sought after. 

Honda S2000

This model was a valid driver’s car with all the important features like lightweight construction, ideal weight distribution, powerful and rev-happy engine, and razor-sharp handling in an elegant open-top package. Under the hood was a 2.0 or 2.2-liter four-cylinder engine with 240 hp, which was the car’s main selling point. Thanks to intelligent engineering and lightweight, the S2000 had respectable performance and perfect handling, for which it was universally praised. 

Mercedes SL R107

This generation was in production from 1971 to 1989 and is very common. The engine choices include one six-cylinder engine and several V8s, including the range-topping 560 V8. We recommend you find a 450 or 500 V8 engine since they are the most popular and offer the best combination of power and efficiency. 

Sunbeam Alpine

One of the classic roadster class’s most fascinating but forgotten models is the Sunbeam Alpine, an English two-seater convertible built from 1959 to 1968. The Sunbeam is a classic English brand, long gone from the market and remembered by only a handful of enthusiasts. But Alpine is a very nice-looking car with dependable and conventional mechanicals and a small 1.5—or 1.7-liter four-cylinder engine. 

Chrysler Crossfire SRT6

Do you remember Chrysler Crossfire? In 2004, Crossfire was a Mercedes SLK with a different body but the same mechanics and drive train. Even though the press didn’t like the car, one version with proper performance credentials was the Crossfire SRT6. The SRT6 was, as expected, an SLK, but this time, it was AMG, which meant that it was equipped with an AMG-prepared V6 engine delivering 330 hp, performance-tuned suspension, brakes, and other components. 

Jensen Healey

In a desperate attempt to save the company, Jensen launched the Jensen Healey roadster in 1972. Under the hood was a 2.0-liter Lotus-derived engine with around 100 hp and modest performance. However, the modern design and nice stance attracted buyers. As with all British cars from the ’70s, the Healey had problems with rust and electrics, which is why they are cheap today. 

Fiat 850 Spider

Fiat has always been one of the best producers of superminis and compact cars, often making sportier, open-top versions for keen buyers. This is exactly what the 850 Spider is. Despite looking like a toy compared to other full-size cars of the period, the 850 Spider was a capable driving machine because it was so light and nimble. With just 49 hp, the car couldn’t outrun any Porsches, but since it was so small, it could provide much driving excitement.

Pontiac Solstice

Although the Solstice roadster couldn’t save the company or become a sales hit, it is still one of the best Pontiacs ever made and a very competent little car with great potential. Imagined as a little sports convertible to fight the Audi TT and BMW Z4, the Solstice was, in fact, faster and nimbler than most of its rivals. With a 2.4-liter turbocharged engine and 260 hp on tap, the Solstice had vivid performance and competent handling. 

Toyota MR2

One of the most compact and affordable sports cars with an open top is the Toyota MR2. Toyota introduced it in 1984 and sold it until 2007 in three generations. The MR2 was always a great-handling, lively-performing two-seater model with great driving dynamics. The last generation was known to be tricky to drive, but it was still enormous fun and provided owners with endless hours of open-top driving.