Summer has well and truly arrived and as long as it isn’t too hot, the best way to enjoy it is with a convertible. Currently ‘convertible car’ has a loose definition which can include everything from a rugged Jeep with a removable canvas top to the latest in convertible car technology, a retractable hardtop that folds up into the boot, like the BMW 3 series.
Cars with soft convertible tops are referred to by a variety of names new and old, typically based on body style of the vehicle. For example, convertibles are often tagged cabriolet or cabrio to identify the soft-top version of a specific vehicle model. In contrast, a targa top simply has a removable roof panel to let the sky in. Meanwhile, if a convertible car has just two doors and two seats, it is often called a roadster.
Hard-top convertible cars may be difficult to distinguish from their non-drop top counterparts on the road, but drivers immediately recognise the difference from the top up. Less wind and road noise, quieter in the rain and better security often top the list. If you’re searching for a hard-top convertible, you may see terms including retractable hardtop, coupe convertible or coupe cabriolet. Similar to the soft top, a 2-seat hardtop convertible sports car will usually be referred to as a roadster coupe.
Soft-top convertibles are the original – and still most common – style of convertible cars. Soft-tops provide a reasonable amount of protection from the elements with a folding fabric top, often insulated to keep both heat and sound outside.
There are plenty to choose from. For as little as $28,990 you can hop in a FIAT 500C. The 500C is an open version of the regular 500 with a roof that can retract while driving. Fiat says the soft-top operation is totally electronic and there is an optional wind-stop to position behind the front seats if one is concerned about a ruffled ‘do’ while driving.
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At the other end of the scale is the Rolls-Royce Phantom Drophead Coupe which you can own for a mere approximately $1.4 million. Unfortunately I haven’t driven one but the following came to mind when I saw one in the street recently – Big.
That’s the best word to describe the 2010 Rolls-Royce Drophead Coupe, a vehicle that is enormous in every dimension. As such, piloting it through tighter streets I imagine would be daunting, with its wide body and huge front end perched in the distance like the bow of a ship. Thankfully, would you believe it has the optional, yes optional, split-view front camera providing a right-right side view of crossroads ahead? It doesn’t come with ‘do’ ruffle disclaimers – but hey who cares what you look like if you’re driving around in one of these.
Hard-top convertibles provide the benefits of a convertible car with the comfort and protection of a coupe. With the top up a hardtop convertible car has the all-weather appeal of an enclosed car, but once the top goes down, it’s all convertible.
BMW, Chrysler, Mazda, Merc and Volvo to name a few all have hard-top convertibles. Peugeot has the least expensive though with the 207CC. Priced under $40K, the 207CC is the car that brought the folding metal roof to the people, kick-starting a trend for affordable drop-tops boasting Mercedes SL-style technology for a fraction of the price.
The sexy Mercedes SLK was one of the first to popularise the hard top convertible. Since being introduced in the 1990s, the Mercedes-Benz SLK has been best known for one thing: its retractable hardtop convertible roof. A revolutionary piece of automotive engineering at the time, it has since spread to other convertibles.
Targa top sports cars offer the wide-open feel of a convertible with the option to close up for weather and security. Many targa tops are transparent, offering a view of the sky while keeping the elements outside. The targa-top is a version of the convertible of which you will not find many, if any variants in Australia. Porsche was known for them, but the Nissan Exa and Nx were probably the most recent mass produced versions to hit our shores.
A roadster features two-doors and two-seats with limited trunk space for just the essentials. The roadster that brought convertibles back from the grave is the MX5. The new MX5 has moved from soft top to hard. That rattled the cages of some of the die hard fans but as you would expect, this new MX-5 still feels responsive, and has beautifully accurate steering, a precise chassis and is extremely well balanced. In other words, it’s a focused driver’s car. In fact, on a winding road, the new roof’s importance begins to dim – this model was such great fun to drive.
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Another is the Audi TT, it first hit the streets for the 2000 model year, the radically styled Audi TT – sleek and bulbous and minimalist at once – left not a single head unturned in its wake. Eight years and a truckload of design awards later, that car has earned for itself a place in automotive history. While it would be unrealistic to expect the same kind of visual impact from its follow-up, with its second-generation TT, Audi has delivered a car that’s even more exciting than the first.
Whether you choose to call yours a roadster, soft-top, cabriolet, ragtop, spyder or spider, targa-top, droptop or drophead, volante or simply a convertible, own one and you’ll never go back to a closed-cabin car!
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