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Two Seats to Paradise
Roadster Redux! Once an extinct breed, the two-seater--wind in the hair and all--is on the road again
Paul A. Eisenstein
From the Print Edition:
Bo Derek, Jul/Aug 00
(continued from page 3)
Ford is readying a classic American roadster as well--a very retro-looking Thunderbird, which is due on the market next year.
When you add them all up, roadsters are having a clear impact on the American market. Essentially gone just a decade ago, roadsters accounted for sales of roughly 63,000 vehicles last year, and volume is likely to top 80,000 by 2004, forecasts the consulting firm, AutoPacific, Inc. That figure doesn't even include the F-Type, Thunderbird or Mercedes SLR, though even if the latter goes into production, it won't do much to move the sales needle, with projected volume of, at most, 100 or so a year.
Obviously, if you're an automaker, sales numbers count. But how does one measure the real value of the roadster? Can one put a price tag on primal pleasure? Or measure the worth of wind in one's hair? In an age of increasing mass conformity, the bottom line is this: the roadster provides a sense of freedom, of self-determination that is quite truly priceless.
Paul A. Eisenstein runs The Detroit Bureau, an independent automotive news service.
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