As the gathering of automobile lovers grows on RumbleSeat, I

Jun 4

As the gathering of automobile lovers grows on RumbleSeat, I enjoy seeing the diverse interests that are ending up here to pass time and meet others. I learn from other members and find new cars to read and research.

My interests primarily are in PreWar cars, but at 61 I've had a lot of different things starting at age 16. One constant over most of my life has been to have a roadster. Typically British, but a couple of Alfa Romeo's were also in the stable in my 20's and 30's. I am currently without one, and want to change that at some point.

I saw this video a few years ago..... and a shout out to "Petrolicious", who seem to put out content that makes me feel I'm engaging with like minded folks.........

A roadster, something to stir our passion and make us feel more alive than the "Do everything for you modern car experience"

Any Roadster (of all types) fans here?

YouTube ↗

Jun 4, 2026

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Replies (73)

· Jun 4

I like the knowledge spread.   When @prewarnut gave us a dissertation on G Wagons I was very impressed.  That is wide berth of knowledge.   @59redwing did some great posts on his cars and it was stuff you never see.  That guy rivals @ShawnG for juggling lots of cars and working 14 hours a day.

@SteveMackCT  had a TR6.    Growing up my mom drove an XK140 in the summers  (in retrospect she was living large) and when I got older I could take it out too.   Remember being maybe 20ish tooling around with my girlfriend early evening.

I wanted an XK150 or a series 1 E-Type but the urge may have left me.  When we were getting my mom's car ready to sell the sorting process involved me putting about 500 miles on it.   A lot of fun but it might have got it out of my system.

· Jun 7

AJ and others, what is the pecking order between the 120/140/150? I like them all but do think the windscreen of the 150XK is the sexiest. Anyone have insight about the differences in the models?

· Jun 7

I prefer the early 120 as the purest form of the car. The later cars got bigger and boxier.

· Jun 7

John,   here is my order:

1.  Early alloy 120.   Very few of these and expensive.
2. 140MC. 120 looks with more power and 3" of legroom.  Only visual cue is the bigger bumpers.
3. 150 S has the most refined chassis with the most HP.

· Jun 7

Thanks, this is interesting. They are like E type jags, you can find them from 60K all the way up to 300K….. condition is everything, but there is always some type of packing order or appreciation amongst the diehard’s and I’ve always wondered what it was.

· Jun 7

There is always some esoteric pecking order that is not necessarily obvious. With the 50s Jags the Roadsters bring the most money with the Convertible Coupes and Coupes following. Condition as always is critical as is colors. The high performance variants of each model bring the most money. SE/MC/S respectively. You can get a heritage certificate for a car with its delivered configuration. I wouldn't buy one without seeing that.

· Jun 7

I agree with your ranking.

· Jun 16

Me too. Will add that an R type Bentley with a stick can be a fun car too. Some of the body styles are not in the league with these other cars but there are attractive ones.

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· Jun 4

A little bit off your topic but the one Jag I might still fall for is a 48 MKIV saloon. Needs to be LHD 3.5 configuration which seems to be almost unobtainable. My buddy George Cole @gtcole has a RHD car.

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· Jun 7

These are very attractive but a bit underpowered if you have driven an XK120.

· Jun 4

Great topic! I have always lusted for a 52 ish Allard. Preferably the J2X but more likely the less expensive K2 model.

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· Jun 4

Stunning. This is exactly what I’m talking about. I know just enough about the Allard make to be dangerous.

· Jun 4

To paraphrase the parents in Christmas Story: John, will kill yourself in that thing.

My dad came within a whisker of owning one of those 35 years ago. His friend promised it to him and then it somehow went out the back door. I've always liked them too. There were different engine options.

· Jun 4

Your name drop with interesting content is exactly what I’m talking about. Dan @prewarnut is a research informational mother lode who is always sharing new stuff to motivate me. In particular all things Locomobile. Steve @SteveMackCT and I both still list after TR6’s, although I am leaning lately to the TR4.

· Jun 4

I’m a fan of the TR4 styling too. But I would split the difference and go with a TR250. Best of both worlds.

· Jun 4

You guys have to get your act together and let me know when you go live. 😄 I've got 6972 original registrations to share of about 6200 or so individual cars (multiple year duplicates) and climbing. My fingers are getting tired. I'm also headed back to the archives tomorrow to search in a new location to see if I can find insights in the custom ordering process...

· Jun 5

Hopefully soon!

· Jun 4

Also slightly off topic but I've always thought the early 50s Riley was interesting. Wood framed and maybe not the largest engine in the world but very stylish.

· Jun 4

A back view.

· Jun 4

I like the Riley offerings. Over several years, their styling rivals some things Bentley was putting out for a fraction of the cost. I’ve also seen some examples at very reasonable prices in the last 10 years. Just not enough money and garage space to chase down every rabbit hole.

· Jun 4

If I were looking for a roadster to scare the daylights out of me, I’d go with a Caterham 620.

· Jun 4

Congratulations Travis, first time in a few years someone mentioned a car I have never heard of.

· Jun 4

You’ve never heard of a Caterham?! Basically just a modernized Lotus 7. Probably about as pure of a driving experience as money can buy.

· Jun 5

A dream car of mine. It's the closest thing to road legal Formula car.

· Jun 5

What year? I guess my brain shuts off after 1980.

· Jun 5

I believe the 620 started in 2013 but most models from 1973 up were much more mild.

· Jun 5

The beautiful thing about the Roadster platform is there are interesting cars, with club support, at every price point.

Under 10K....MGB, Midget, AH Sprite, Triumph Spitfire, Sunbeam Alpine, Series lll Alfa Romeo Spider, Fiats, Miata,

10-20K....MGTD, TR6, TR4, MGA, Series ll Alfa Romeo Spider, Datsun 1600/2000, MGTF, MB 450/380/560 SL (Arguably more of a tourer).

20-40K....MGTC, Triumph TR3, TR250,

40-100K..... Austin Healey 100/3000, Series l Alfa Romeo Spider, Jaguar series ll/lll, XKE, Sunbeam Tiger

100K and up???......Series l Jaguar XKE, some of the Austin Healey 100/3000 models, Alfa Romeo 2000

1-2 Million....Mercedes 300SL (sorry, couldn't help myself, had to throw this one in)

You can jump in anywhere. In my mind, finding a MGB 63-67 with wires and good bones or an early Triumph TR6 is the single best way to step into the interesting Roadster world at a bargain for someone who wants to put their toe in the water. You'll have lots of support and fun for the buy-in.

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· Jun 5

Love the metal bumper MGB. Lost a little soul when the bumper went to rubber. Thank you federal safety standards. How about the GT?

· Jun 5

I too love the GT, There are some cold mornings here in northern Illinois that you'd love to take that morning run in a GT vice a Roadster....

· Jun 5

In the mid-70s you would see a GT all most as often as the roadster. I need to look up the production numbers.

· Jun 5

They are really cool cars, especially the early ones. There was one in my high school parking lot and I have always liked them.

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· Jun 5

Well, since John brought up the 300 SL, that brings us firmly into dreamer range. In that case, I’ll take one of the two Toyota 2000 GT roadsters.

· Jun 5

Maybe the best looking Japanese car of all time (designed by an Italian?).

· Jun 5

I believe it was styled by one of Toyota’s designers. This photo might be why we really like this car.

· Jun 7

This is right. It was a Japanese industrial designer that penned the lines. But it does have an Italian look to iit

· Jun 5

One more roadster on the affordable end of the spectrum would be the Triumph Stag. Love the styling of these. I’ve always thought that if the Rover V8 ever proved troublesome in one of these, a repower with an early Lexus V8 would make one sweet car.

· Jun 5

I dated a girl in high school who had a stag. Her father was a mechanical genius and the go to Guy for all exotic cars in the area. He had swapped out the rover engine and I want to say it had a Ford 260?

I like them conceptually. It seems like they were trying to rival the SL.

· Jun 6

The rover v8 was the default it seems but there is a lot of other stuff that has been put into Stag's historically. Your Lexus V8 idea would be interesting. I haven't thought about the problematic Stag powerplant for many years but a quick look this morning shows lots of people going the EV route, conversion. Here was one example. I just don't know that I'd get used to driving a smaller open British car with no ICE noise.. I do find it less offensive with the Stag then other swaps since the engine was the problem from the beginning. I'm trying to think of the last time I saw a Stag "in the wild" driving. A clean one is really a handsome ride, unique, worth preserving. This video doesn't show the back of the car, but hopefully they retained the exhaust pipes trailing out the back.......A signature part of the look of these Stag's.

YouTube ↗

· Jun 6

Thanks John, you just jogged my memory. I had it mixed up. The Triumph V8 was the problematic one and the Rover V8 was what everyone put in them as a replacement. I’m not generally a fan of restomods but the fact that so many of these had engine transplants makes the restomod route a bit of a victimless crime. The electric conversion makes more sense in this car than in a lot that I’ve seen, anyhow.

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· Jun 6

That's exactly how I feel, but you stated it better than I could. I'm a fan of keeping things as they were, but I'm not so rigid as to want a car to sit silently in the dark as original if a known problem from the factory could be corrected with new technology and get it back on the road being enjoyed.

· Jun 6

I was thinking as I drove my car today about what would be lost in a small sports car in converting it to electric. It’s not just the sound. But what about the vibrations? For better or worse, they’re part of the experience in anything with a reciprocating engine. Coming through the steering wheel, the shifter, and the pedals, I think I would miss it.

· Jun 6

I agree, that is a lot of the experience. Keep it if at all possible……… but if it isn’t possible, and the junkyard or forgotten forever are the only other options…. I could accept an EV solution if that got it on the road. Blasphemy I’m sure!!! 🫢

· Jun 7

Almost worse than the crate engine craze. And I want a Tesla.

· Jun 7

I'm sure you guys saw this:
https://forums.aaca.org/topic/456942-electric-sports-car-inspired-by-the-mg-to-be-produced-in-danville-virginia

· Jul 21

I wonder how big the final "MG" will turn out to be.
We're so used to how bloated modern cars have become due to gadgets and safety gear (not necessarily a bad thing).
Park a real Mini next to a German MINI and see just how huge the new MINIs are. 3400lbs too!
I doubt you could build a new car the size of an MGB and still be able to meet crash standards and safety requirements.
I don't feel like my new Silverado is all that big. It's a half-ton after all. Then I parked it next to a 90s F-150 and holy crap, new trucks are huge.

· Jul 21

Shawn….. in support of your size comments… my Midget next to my 733 club sedan

Hopefully the two would never meet in motion.

· Jul 21

John, I have never sat in a midget, how well do you fit?

· Jul 21

@ShawnG everything now is supersized. Look at videos from the beach in the 1970s, never mind the 30s.

The problem with even driving a 1/2 ton truck is it makes cars feel low and small no matter how big they are. Kinda ruins it for you.

· Jul 21

This photo illustrates why they won’t make any truly small cars anymore. This is what I see from the driver’s seat when I park my BMW Mini in front of my F250. In a T-bone situation, my face would be a hood ornament.

· Jul 21

That is my Midget next to the Packard. I’m 6’2”, I used to be 6’3” and I weigh 215, but I tell people I weigh 205.

There is no graceful way for a guy my size to get in and out of a Midget. But once I’m in, I fit very well.

They are a blast to drive and an early one with chrome bumpers and wire wheels has a lot of visual qualities I like.

They are still very cheap and lots of fun. If you think a large pre-war car feels fast going 50 miles an hour down the road, you should take a Midget up to 50…..pretending you are Phil Hill.

Just a blast.

Sadly I sold that car to a good friend and I have been “roadsterless” ever since.

Rumbleseat should coin some new words for society at large.

I’d like to propose Roadsterless.

Roadsterless: the frustrating anxiety producing dilemma when you used to have a roadster and no longer do, or have never had one and have finally realized what a horrible mistake it is and are striving to correct it.

· Jul 21

Awesome! "Roadsterless"! Great word. Once my mom's Cord is gone and the Buick returns to its owner I will be without a 2 passenger car. Well, except for my Stutz which doesn't really count.

I like the "I used to be 6.3 but now I'm 6.2". At least you have a buffer. I was dead nuts 6.0 at 18 and last physical it was 5.11.5 and heading the wrong way.

· Jul 21

There was a Midget parked next to us at a local car show this past Sunday. I noticed how the older gentleman that was driving it really needed to fold up his legs to get into it. He managed though. I’d say he was close to my height so probably 6’1”ish. The highlight of the day was when a woman walked up to the car and was checking it out and told him that a Midget had always been her dream car. He replied “ Ya gotta dream bigger than that!”

· Jul 21

😆😆

· Jun 5

For pure sex appeal, the MGA is hard to beat. I'm a sucker for a good looking car.
The Twin Cam's are pricey and have some known weaknesses, but the 1500/1600 are just flat out good looking at that price point. It's a shame they couldn't have had a 2.0 litre like the TR3 from the factory.

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· Jun 7

A bargain compared to a Jaguar or the 3000 at one point. Not as much anymore.

· Jul 21

My latest diversion related to British Roadsters is the TR3. My best friend had one years ago. It seemed to be a "mechanically troubled car". Anyone on here have first hand experience with the TR3? I like the idea of having a cosmetically challenged one with solid mechanicals and just bomb around in it. Who here has had a TR 3 or shared experiences with it from friends?

· Jul 21

I can't remember if @SteveMackCT had a TR 3 or TR 4. I think maybe a 4.

I need to be educated about the differences and why one over the other.

· Jul 21

TR 3 and TR 4 look quite a bit different. I actually love them both but the TR 3 looks much older and more vintage. The TR 4 bears heavily resemblance to the TR6.

The car at the very top of this thread is a TR 3.

· Jul 21

Speaking of the TR3, while not a roadster, my favorite car on that chassis would be the Italia 2000. I love that Vignale body.

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· Jul 21

Post war the Italians really make the most stylish bodies. I had never heard of the Italia 2000. Thank you!!!

· Jul 22

They did. Probably why the TR4 and TR250 styled by Michelotti are my favorite of the standard Triumphs. Maybe we need a thread on the Italian coachbuilders though.

· Jul 22

I really like the TR4 dash

· Jul 22

Agreed. If you put a prancing horse on that steering wheel, nobody would think it was out of place.

· Jul 22

SHHHHH........don't talk about that too much until we get ours...........

· Jul 22

😂

· Jul 22

@JohnBloom funny you should mention that. I'm thinking to myself how did this get past me? I love the styling! The Italian bodies on the jag chassis bring crazy money. This XK140 with Ghia coachwork brought 335k.

· Jul 22

They are great looking. I didn’t realize that was on a Jaguar XK chassis.
The Italians are very strong in that era for beauty. Alfa and others are inspiring. I particularly love some of the two door sedan/2 door Coupe offerings from Maserati and Ferrari from the same era as that Italia.
As a bottom feeder (cheap), I like the Italian inspiration on the TR4, in particular finding one with the Surrey Top. It channels some of those beautiful top shelf examples from the upper crust (Maserati, Lamborghini, Ferrari ), for 10 cents on the dollar.

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· Jul 22

This one had like a 400k estimate on it and didn't sell. Body by Michelotti.

· Jul 22

Michelotti was the designer of the TR4. From the TR4 club :

The Standard Triumph company’s intent was to upgrade their Triumph Roadster (TR) sports car so as to boost sales in what they saw as an increasingly competitive marketplace. To do this economically they would keep as much of the proven good features of the TR3 as possible and design a new, modern-looking body. The Italian auto designer Michelotti was approached for the project and agreed to take it on.

Michelotti’s task was to design a more modern sports car body which would fit the chassis and mechanical components of the TR3. The result was the TR4, which first rolled out of the Cranwell works at Coventry on July 18, 1961.

· Aug 6

10K? Do we think it is a rust bucket or is that all these bring? This one is for @SteveMackCT .

https://app.rumbleseat.com/marketplace/4715511

· Aug 6

Seems cheap??

· Aug 17

Here’s a couple more MGs for the more adventurous. A track-ready MGA that looked like so much fun and a supercharged MGTD.

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