The RBW Roadster Is A Made-In-America British Sports Car With A Modern Twist

Tucked away in one of the smaller, out-of-sight stalls at Goodwood, CarBuzz got up close with two RBW Roadsters and discovered what might be the best modern British sports car you've never heard of.

At first glance, they look like something plucked out of a British automotive history textbook, the kind of convertible sports car Mazda tried to recreate with the original Miata. But under the classic skin, these are packed with modern engineering, patent-worthy technologies, and some of the best workmanship and attention to detail we've seen from a low-volume automaker. The twist? These aren't powered by leaky old British engines. They're electric.

Modern Engineering That Won't Let You Down
We know, we know, that's a turn-off, but here's the thing. Maybe it's not. RBW hasn't butchered a real classic for this, and it's not trying to replace any of your gasoline cars with electrics, either. Instead, RBW is giving you a stylish, reliable weekend toy for when you need to make a statement, and because it's all modern engineering beneath the surface, you can enjoy the drive, too. We're talking double wishbone suspension at each corner, the same sort of setup you'll find in most Mazda Miatas.

A quick crawl under the bodies reveals immaculate componentry, with modern braking systems and easy parts availability - off-the-shelf maintenance items like brake pads are common to mainstream OEMs - making general maintenance of the RBW Roadster and GT easy. But under the hood is where you won't find off-the-shelf parts. Here, there's a powertrain developed by RBW's parent company, Spirit EV. The battery lives where a traditional engine would go, retaining the classic weight balance of a front-engined car, but the single electric drive unit is found on the rear axle, housed within a custom subframe designed and patented by RBW.

In a world where we now have EVs boasting nearly 3,000 horsepower, the 94 hp in the RBW Roadster seems comical. But since the battery pack is small (and the car just as tiny), it doesn't weigh all that much. That 94 hp is more than enough to take the RBW Roadster to 60 mph from a standstill in 8.9 seconds, and it'll top out at 87 mph. As for range, the standard battery configuration gives you 160 miles to a charge, but the optional battery pack (with a seventh lithium-ion module) takes this to 200 miles. For a weekend toy, that's plenty. Charging may be the fly in the ointment, though, as the RBW Roadster charges at 3.5 kW and takes 8 hours to charge completely.

Beautiful Inside And Out, Modern Where It Counts
Styling on something like this is equally as important as the mechanical makeup of it. And boy, does the RBW Roadster have style. This is a tiny thing, no bigger than a Mk1/NA Miata, brimming with British charm. The proportions are dainty and elegant, and the 16-inch alloy wheels - a mutispoke design with a classic centerlock-style cap - are a callback to a time when the automotive world wasn't obsessed with the bigger-is-better mentality proliferating modern vehicle design.

The interior is equally as dainty, but still a practical space to be in. It is, however, an element of the RBW that betrays its vintage bodywork, though, as the dash sports AC vents borrowed from the previous-gen Mercedes CLA-Class, along with a tablet-like touchscreen infotainment system sporting full Android Auto/Apple CarPlay integration. Ahead of the driver is a triple-dial instrument cluster, but the central unit is a digital display giving you readouts of battery level, drive engagement, and other warning signs.

It's this interior that gives the greatest hint as to the quality of work by RBW, though. I've seen mainstream automakers, let alone niche low-volume ones, take shortcuts on their interiors with upholstery that feels scratchy and stitching that doesn't line up. Even Chevrolet had issues with this when the C8 Corvette was first introduced. But there's no such quality foibles in the two RBW cars I poked around in. The seats struck the right balance of cushy and supportive, and the leather was soft without feeling flimsy.

Not Everyone Wants An Authentic Old Car Experience
Some might balk at the concept of a car that looks old but has none of that old-car charm. There's no carb to tune, no smell of gas, and no risk of breaking down here to build character, but that's OK. Not everyone wants to experience that side of classic car ownership on a regular basis. For some people, it's about the style, it's about the feeling of a tiny car free of the frivolities of modern behemoths, and it's about being able to park your car and turn back to look at it with a smile on your face. And those sorts of buyers are happy to pay for the privilege.

Naturally, a handmade car doesn't come cheap, especially one like the RBW Roadster or GT - the convertible and coupe versions, respectively. Pricing on the RBW Roadster in the US is $140,000, while the RBW GT adds an extra $10k to that figure. Only 72 will be built for the US in 2026, meaning they'll be as rare as they are bespoke.