The Two-Seater. . .Call them Roadsters, Spiders, Speedsters, Runabouts, Buggies, the focus group for this year’s show is Two-Seat sporty cars. The more common American term Roadster, in the early 19th century referred to a horse, comfortable traveling roads and trails. The word evolved to be used for a two-person carriage or buggy. For our purposes – simply defined as a car for two with emphasis on sporting appearance or character, often with convertible top. A two-seater with a rumble seat would fit within our flexible definition, as would a two seater with a shelf behind for groceries or a puppy, considered accessible storage, not suitable for human seating. The history of Roadsters includes examples built by almost all automobile manufacturers – foreign and domestic; small to immense; economy models to ultra-expensive; cars for everyday use to race ready; limited editions to mass production – a list would fill pages.
