What Is the Difference Between a Sports Car and a Roadster?

Have you ever looked at a car and thought maybe that could be a sports car because it only has two seats? It's elegant like a sports car and as agile as a sports car, but there is a difference between the two. Here is the difference between the roadster and the sports car.

The first car that was made is considered a roadster as it only has two seats installed and no roof. They also call convertible cars roadsters because of the convertible roof. Examples would include the Porsche Boxster and the Aston Martin V8 Vantage Roadster.

A roadster is often considered a sports car as it was made to emphasise the comfort and the handling of the vehicle. However, this was considered a sports car when the fastest car only had two to four cylinders and not a lot of horsepower. A roadster, now, can be just as fast as the BMW M3 but it's not as warm in the winter months though.

Sports cars are defined by the type of engine they have. The engine usually has to consist of eight cylinders or more to be considered a sports car or super car. Obviously the suspension and turbochargers are part of it but it's mainly how many cylinders it contains. The car should be able to go from a stationary position to one hundred kilometres per hour in just a couple of seconds; nothing a roadster can't handle.

Sports cars nowadays are front-engine and front wheel drive vehicles. There are few manufacturers who have rear-engines and rear wheel drive ability such as Porsche and the Audi R8. The layout has been changed because the performance of giving the car torque from the front is better and faster without requiring as much force to push the car.

Unlike the roadster, engineers and manufacturers have tried to make the sports car more practical in case a child or luggage was to be involved with the traveling. They call the four seating layout "2+2", which means that there the two occasional seats with the general driver and shotgun seats.

Both cars require specific types of wheels and tyres to ensure their optimum driving force. So the wheel suppliers take this into account when designing the vehicles. The wheels must be able to handle high speeds and tight corners.

These types of cars are so similar yet so different especially to the hard-core vehicle enthusiasts. Yet to a normal person, both could serve the same purposes just as well. One could be your holiday car for those hot days and the other could be your super elegant and fast family car.

A1 Wheel and Tyre is a private family owned and operated company specialising in the warehouse and distribution of wheels and tyres to the automotive fitment trade. The company has a well established operation in Johannesburg, South Africa.