Roader Automobile

W. J. Roader Auto en Cie., commonly known as Roader, is a Lovian-Brunanter car company specializing in small luxury sports cars.

History
Roader was founded in 1913 as Röder en Cie by Wilhelm Josef Röder, a Brunanter of German origin. He started making small cars, but in really small numbers. In 1954, the Brunanter car boom began, and the company, owned by his Lovian grandson Herman Roader (who got a name change), began mass producing vehicles. It was in 1961 when Roader began to specializein small sports cars. By then, Herman, who live in Lovia, moved operations there. Roader had huge successes in Europe, but as their cars became larger, they lost more sales and pulled out altogether in 1995. In 2001 it was taken over by Vanguard Group, who totally revamped the company and made it successful again.

Roader Middleton Type 2
The Type 2 Middleton was a small 2-seat roadster introduced in 1956, which was a modification of the 1951-56 Middleton. By the late 1960s the design was getting old,and the last one was built in 1970.

Roader Corsica
The Corsica was a small business coupe introduced by Roader in 1963. The car was quite popular among style-conscious businessmen, but was known for having faulty engines. Thus it was replaced in 1966 with the Type-2 Corsica. This car had a jauntier stance, and had a little more room, but had several faults, mostly in the build quality. Though the price went up US$2000 to $10,000 Roader managed to sell 8,600 of them by 1974.

Roader Mallorca (Type 66)
The Mallorca was a small and lightweight mid-engined sports car introduced by Roader in 1971. Priced at US$22,000 it was far cheaper than any Atlantis being offered. It only had a straight-six engine, but the car handled very well around twists and curves. In 1984, Roader re-issued the car as the Type 66, with an updated and slightly larger body. It was made in larger quantities until 1994.

Roader Type 77
The Roader 77 was the successor to the Corsica business coupe. Introduced in 1974, 2 months before the Corsica's retiring, it outsold it 3:1. WIth a much better build quality, the 77 became legendary. Equipped with a 200 HP V6, it was fast and could reach 127 MPH. In 1981 a 77 Mark II was introduced, with a full leather-and-electric powered interior. Billed as Lovias most luxurious car, it was priced at a grand US$40,000. Plans for a Mk2 four-door never materialized after it was shown that such a car could cost well over $60,000. The all-new Mark III was introduced in 1986, and it was in continued production until 1993. By then, the car had become very big and had lost many sales in Europe. The Mark IV, introduced in 1994, was based on the Mk3. It had limited success, at home and abroad, and was discontinued in 1996. In 2002, the new Type 77 was introduced. It had a very nice design, and quickly became a success, with 10,000 being sold that year alone.

Roader Type 88
The Type 88 Roader, introduced in 1969, was to becom the most famous of their models. It was the successor to the Middleton, and it proved to be much more popular. It was produced in its original form until 1980, when the Mark II was introduced. This version, with a more powerful V6, was produced until 1992. After an 8 year hiatus, the Type 88 was re-introduced.

Roader Type 99
The Type 99 was a four door sedan built by Roader from 1991-2003. It was compact, sporty and luxurious, but at US$45,000 did not sell too well. In 2003 the "final edition" Type 99 was produced, but at US$60,000 only saw 600 sold.