We’ll forgive you if you’ve never heard of the name Roding before. Based in Germany, the company made its first appearance at the 2009 Frankfurt Motor Show with an odd-looking roadster concept promising to deliver a production version of the two-seat mid-engine sports car in the near future.
Fast forward to today, and our crafty scoop photographers captured a prototype of the Roding Roadster honed at the Nürburgring racetrack. If you take a look at the photos of the original concept, you’ll see that Roding has significantly altered the design of the Roadster, which is probably a good thing…
Roding says that the main chassis cell is made of carbon fiber reinforced plastic (CFRP) while the front and rear subframes are aluminum-CFRP hybrid structures. The small roadster model’s body is made of fiberglass sandwich panels (CFRP optional) to further reduce the overall weight.
The Roadster is being tested with what the company describes as a “high-efficiency six-cylinder turbo engine coming from a car manufacturer with reputation” delivering over 300-horses and more than 400Nm (295 lb-ft) of peak torque. Given the specs of the engine and the fact that Roding is based in Germany, chances are the engine is sourced from either BMW or Audi.
According to the company, the production Roadster will make its debut in the spring of 2012, possibly at the Geneva Motor Show.
PHOTO GALLERY
RODING ROADSTER CONCEPT 
