One of its more recent creations was the dinky StreetKa roadster, of which it built about 37,000 units the first Ford to be built in Italy.
Alternatively, the Tesla roadster, with a top speed of 200kph, would leave it in the dust and keep going for another 300km or so after the Smart's battery was flat.
Most importantly they show that, sometimes, doing the right thing can be fun.The launch of the Tesla roadster two years ago demonstrated that electric cars do not have to be slouches.
While there will still be a few high-volume nameplates, such as the VW Golf, Ford F-150 and Toyota Camry, speciality vehicles such as the Pontiac Solstice roadster will increasingly become the norm.
Then Lord, along with Delphi Corporation, of Troy, Michigan, a former subsidiary of General Motors and a big supplier of car parts, applied MR fluids to car suspension.The result, called MagneRide, first appeared on Cadillac's Seville models and is now standard equipment on its XLR convertible roadster, and an option on some other models.
An entire new class of buyers emerged.Upon arrival at GM, Mr Lutz discovered a Pontiac car called the Solstice, a shapely and affordable two-seater roadster.
But at this year's show it was Japan's three biggest carmakers that rolled out the pick-ups and SUVs, while in the far corner of the sprawling auditorium the centrepiece of GM's stand was a trio of small cars: the Pontiac Solstice roadster, the Saturn Curve and the Chevrolet Nomad.
Price: From £67,520 (F-Type range from £58,520) Engine capacity: 3.0-litre V6 supercharged petrol Power output (PS @ rpm): 380 @ 6,500 Top speed (mph): 171 0-60 (mph): 4.6 seconds Fuel economy (mpg): 31.0 CO2 emissions (g/km): 213 Few new cars have carried such a crippling burden of expectation as the F-Type roadster.
Volk visits three times a year to race his pride and joy, a 1929 Ford roadster fitted with a 1200 horsepower Chevrolet engine.
In terms of the rest of its on-road behaviour, the F-Type is certainly a proper sports car, taking up a nice sweet-spot somewhere between Jaguar's own softer XK roadster and hard-core alternatives such as Porsche's 911.
Renault will show a sportier Gordini version of its little Wind roadster, although the changes will mainly be cosmetic.
