Fashions change, and if there was ever a sector of the automotive market to prove the point, it’s roadsters. Open two-seaters are rare beats in today’s market, but it’s not for the first time. Following their ’60s and ’70s heyday, the market for new roadsters almost dried up in the 1980s. Come the 1990s though, they enjoyed a Mazda MX-5-triggered renaissance – a period that saw a host of big manufacturers throw their hats into the arena.
In celebration, we’ve come up with eight two-seater modern classics that were part of a 1990s roadster boom. It’s not an exhaustive list – cars like the Suzuki Cappuccino, Honda CRX Del Sol and Alfa Spider could also stake a claim, as could later ’90s cars like the Audi TT and Honda S2000 – but we think our choices sum up the story of the period rather nicely. Read on to pick a favourite…
MAZDA MX-5
It’s now 34 years since Mazda effectively reinvented the roadster with its iconic MX-5. While the new M100 Elan tried to alter the formula, the Mazda was far truer to the roadsters of the 1960s. During development, the original Elan was one of a number of cars that Mazda brought in to benchmark the MX-5 against, as well as the Triumph Spitfire, Fiat X1/9, MGB and even the Reliant SS1.
Well-proportioned and full of character, the MX-5 was front-engined and rear-wheel drive in the traditional manner. But unlike the roasters of old, you were unlikely to be scrabbling around at the side of the road trying to re-gap the points – under the bonnet was modern and reliable 16-valve twin-cam unit. Initially this was a 1.6-litre engine producing 114bhp, which didn’t sound like much, but the MX-5 was all about fun rather than spectacular performance figures.
