Question: When is a Vette a roadster? I guess I know what a coupe is and a convertible is self-explanatory. Is "roadster" a third category or another name for one of the other two? Can someone ssplain....

JR United we still stand!!!

roadster is another name for convertible.

oooOOOooh! Nyuk, Nyuk, Nyuk, Nyuk...Thanks for the clarification, Ben.

JR

Somebody correct me if I'm wrong, but I thought the true definition of a roadster was more like the early sports cars. no side windows, just a curtain?

That's correct...the original definition of a roadster was a folding, convertible top with either no side windows or build-up curtains. Over the years, the term has been used interchangeably with convertible.

check this out

especially the 1913 definitions

http://www.hyperdictionary.com/dictionary/roadster

the dictionary says it needs a rumble seat...

look up "roadster definiton" in google and youll find a bunch of different answers...

i think in general the modern def would be convertible sports car...

but then again... people argue quite a bit about what a "sports car" is...

There is no exact definition of a sports car, but it is typically a two-seater two-door automobile designed for performance - speed, maneuverability, acceleration. It may be open, or convertible, but not necessarily. Some sports cars may have small emergency back seats that are really only suitable for luggage. A sports car never has four doors or a full back seat.

and yet people insist that mustangs and camaros are sports cars.. a 2+2 jag, triumph or MG back seat qualifies, a stang or camaro has a full back seat..

another thing you see redifined badly lately is coupe...

coupe - a car with two doors and front seats and a luggage compartment

this def fits a corvette coupe perfectly..

some of the car manufacturers are labeling cars with back seats as coupes... (mitsubishi makes one)

they seem to think that the lack of window posts makes a car a coupe.

nice thing about a corvette..

it is a coupe or roadster..
it is a sports car.
it may even be a muscle car..

some definitions say that the corvette is too expensive to be a muscle car.. (http://www.musclecarclub.com/musclecars/general/musclecars-definition.shtml)

but even they think a corvette is muscled enough to have a history of it (http://www.musclecarclub.com/musclecars/chevrolet-corvette/chevrolet-corvette.shtml)

others say it is

Auto expert Steve Magnante, of Hot Rod magazine, answers a few questions about muscle cars and about car care in general.

Q: What makes a muscle car?
A: It comes down to the power-to-weight ratio. If you have a big engine or a lot of horsepower in a small or medium-size car, that is a muscle car.


we dont have to redefine the word sports car to make our cars qualify like stang or camaro owners.

JR

for corvette the name roadsterfrom 1953-1955 then it was call a convertible

Makes sense to me, since '53-'55 have removable side curtains (plexiglass, I believe). New '56 body style was the first year for roll-up windows.

Thanks.

John

|UPDATED|5/15/2004 5:09:44 AM (AZT)|/UPDATED|