The Return of the Roadster
by Doug Breithaupt
Roadster lovers rejoice. Just some 20 years ago, many predicted that there
was no place for the roadster among modern automobiles. The Healey was gone
and the Triumph and MG were on their last legs. Corvette's last roadster
had been in 1975 and the Mercedes-Benz 350SL was too expensive for the masses.
The roadster returned in the 1990's and today the selection of roadsters
is impressive.
Toy car makers are always happy to produce high-profile cars and roadsters
are a favorite. The nine cars shown below are all in current production,
although colors may be different. The single model most responsible for
the roadster renewal is Mazda's much-loved Miata. First offered in 1989,
the Miata has proved that our love for the open road in an open car is alive
and well. Mazda brought us an affordable roadster that is a delight to drive.
Of course, Tomica offers one the best small-scale Miata models, (labeled
as a Eunos, the name used in Japan). Only Hot Wheels, Zlymex and Road Champs
put the Miata in their line-ups along with Tomica.
The other significant roadster of the 1990's came from Chrysler and Dodge.
The Dodge Viper has now proved that it is much more than the hype that has
surrounded it since introduction. It began as a Cobra-like showcar for the
1990's and today it is a champion of the Daytona, Le Mans and Sebring. The
Viper has forced Corvette owners to concede that America's sports car may
have a V10. Hot Wheels, Maisto, Johnny Lightning, Racing Champions, Road
Champs and Matchbox have all done Viper RT or GTS models with the Matchbox
RT one of the best.
Hot on the tail of the Viper, Chrysler gave Plymouth a roadster, just as
amazing as the Viper. The Plymouth Prowler may not have saved Plymouth but
it gave Plymouth a sweet note to to play goodbye. The Prowler has been done
by Johnny Lightning, Maisto, Racing Champions and Matchbox. One British
roadster is represented by the MGF. Now under British ownership, the MGF
is appropriately offered by Matchbox. The Corvette C5 roadster has only
been done by Johnny Lightning top date and it is a very nice example. The
newest roadster is Honda's S2000. This car has been modeled by Tomica and
Maisto to date.
The Germans have always liked roadsters and the big three are the Mercedes-Benz
SLK230, BMW Z3/Z Roadster/M Roadster and the Porsche Boxter. Maisto, Hot
Wheels, Yat Ming and Siku have done the SLK230. Siku, Matchbox, Hot Wheels,
Yat Ming and Maisto have done the BMW. The Boxter is available from Tomica,
Matchbox, Racing Champions, Yat Ming and Siku.
New roadsters from Toyota, Audi, BMW and Jaguar are sure to be offered by
toy makers soon. The 2-seater, soft-top is hear to stay.
1993 Mazda Miata MX5 (Eunos) #111 by Tomica |
1993 Dodge Viper RT/10 #37 by Matchbox |
1998 Mercedes-Benz SLK230 by Maisto |
1996 MGF #66 by Matchbox |
1998 Corvette Conv. #735 by Johnny Lightning |
1997 BMW Z3 #846 by Siku |
2000 Honda S2000 #64 by Tomica |
1994 Plymouth Prower #18 by Matchbox |
1997 Porsche Boxter #55 by Matchbox |