At 11:41 PM 7/1/04 -0500, TJ Tryon, Jr. wrote:
>OK, from everything I've found on the internet, it appears that MG made
>both a Tourer (convertible) and a GT (hard top) models. Is there/was
>there such a thing as a roadster model? ....
>
>So, what is the correct terminology, and what is the difference between a
>roadster and tourer (not necessarily in MG land).
>....
I need a break after all night editing, so I'll take a shot at it.
I seem to recall a Roadster defined as a two seat car with no top and a
boot at the back. The fact that the factory put a rag top and side
curtains on the roadsters was a concession to the mass market, but they
still called them Roadsters because you can take the top and curtains
off. The boot at the back part calls a question about some earlier cars
that may have had some space there but no access cover, so maybe not
technically a boot.
With the addition of roll up windows MG called the MGB convertible a
Tourer, while Jaguar used the term Drop Head Coupe for their XK's with roll
up windows. Essencially, once a car has windows it's not a roadster any
more. And if you install a back seat it also ceases to be a
Roadster. Maybe the guys installing a MGB-GT back seat in the MGB
convertible car could call their conversion a GT Tourer, or Drop head
GT? I think the factory never built MGBs like that, so they didn't have a
name for it.
Barney Gaylord
1958 MGA with an attitude
http://MGAguru.com
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