Is there anything more romantic in car-dom than the notion of carefree cruising in a convertible? The wind in your hair, the sun on your face, the freedom of the open road before you? It’s pretty gosh-darn delightful, is it not?
Indeed, the notion of driving in a convertible is wonderful. The actual practice? Ehhh, I don’t love it. Now, don’t get me started on chassis rigidity, because you can’t get me started on chassis rigidity. I promise you, if you put me in a convertible, any convertible, chassis flex will not even be among my top 100 gripes.
Chief among the gripes: I find the entire affair to be unpleasant. The niceness that having the top down does add – sun on your face, wind in your hair – is more than made up for by the headache I get from wind noise, and the annoyance of all the head-buffeting turbulence that’s also making me miserable.
It all looks like fun, especially in movies and on TV. For example, consider Ben Gazzara in Road House below, just enjoying the weather in his 1988 Mustang GT drop-top, drifting from lane to lane and forcing any wayward Daltons off the road.
Or how about Jon Bernthal in the opening credits of American Gigolo (the Showtime series), taking in the California sun in that most phallic of convertibles, the Jaguar E-Type? Though second to the Jag, the Mercedes 450 SL Richard Gere drives in the 1980 movie also makes top-down driving look sexy and fun.
But it’s never sexy or fun for me! The not-sexy part, I get. After all, I’m in the car, so there you go. But it should be fun! And above 30mph or so, I don’t think I’ve ever really had fun in a convertible.
Now, to be fair, I haven’t yet ridden in a modern convertible, which I’m sure manages airflow much better and feels less like a car missing a roof and more like a car meant to operate well while roofless. But I’d love to give one a try!
Your turn:
I can remember four experiences in a convertible:
Our family car when I was born in Vancouver was a 1958 Morris Minor Tourer. I have a few memories of riding in it, but never with the top down. My mother said later that they realised quickly that toddlers had a tendency to throw their stuffed animals up in the air, resulting in a disappearing toy and a tearful child.
Some friends of my parents had a 1966 MGB, and I remember being driven in that, through Stanley Park in Vancouver. I had one of those pinwheel-on-a-stick toys and was experimenting with aerodynamic flow when the spinner flew away, leaving me with a bare stick. I was disappointed, but old enough that tears didn’t result.
Fast-forward to the 1980s London, and my cousin had a black Triumph Spitfire. We had been at another cousin’s wedding reception, and he and his girlfriend were driving me back to the hotel. I lay across the rear parcel shelf, somewhat drunk, and watched buildings shoot by in my peripheral vision as I looked up at the sky.
And finally, Los Angeles in the late 1990s where I lived for a few months. Someone loaned me an NA Miata for that period. I loved it, but had to get used to wearing a baseball cap all the time in the car – how do Caucasians survive in that climate??
Once again, Miata is always the answer.
I had my first convertible when I was 40 years old back in 2000 it was a Sebring nice enough car, but not a sports car.
Then I had a chance encounter on a business trip with a nearly customer who had a beater Miata, and I was holding on for dear life as the maniac tossed it through the mountains up upstate NY on a perfect summer day. I was hooked and haven’t looked back.
I’m on my seventh Miata now and the top goes down anytime I can drop it ( rain and temps below 45 are the basic limits), with the possible exception of long straight interstate runs.if I am on the interstate for five or six hours I’ll probably have the top up.
The combination of twisty back roads, rowing your own gears, and going topless is a little bit of automotive Nirvana. Spring, fall, summer evenings… I’ll always have at least one convertible Miata in the stable, and if they make the hole big enough, they’ll bury me Behind the wheel of my favorite automobile
I absolutely dislike driving with the top down. My mom had a Sebring convertable(I think. It was a convertable and a Chrysler). I would refused to get in it with the top down. The only “drop top” car I would ever own is a Miata RF, because it’s essentially a coupe with that hard top, and I admit I have a weak sport for the look of targa type things.
Contrary to the “sun on your face” thrill, for me cruising top down on a clear warm summer night is magical. It feels more open for some reason. Throw on some Nick Drake for nostalgia and enjoy the drive.
I’m a bald guy, so Sun on my face just means sunburn. Nothing beats a drop top at night. Even on a cool evening. Just throw some blankets on yourself
Yes! Roof down in the twilight is my favourite thing – as long as it’s not too cold.
The excellent vw cabriolet commercial years ago started a modern interest in the late, great Nick Drake. It’s wordless and lets the music and the film / visuals do all the talking. A masterpiece of 60 second film making.
https://youtu.be/_-kqUkZnDcM?si=AvNVxRPiM7KX6G_c
I freaking love it and have had convertibles, T-tops, and a removable hardtop and I love them all! I drove from Utah to the Tail of the Dragon and then on to Alabama over the course of a week in a Miata several years ago, 90% of it was top down, including a stint across Oklahoma where it was pouring rain for a couple hundred miles. Never stopped, never slowed down and I stayed dry just fine. Anywhere from 45-80 degrees I want to be driving topless. But with a shirt on…
Nothing I love more than top down motoring! I’ve driven top down state to state multiple times, and once in 10° below zero weather (got pulled over twice that day…). Loved each and every experience. So much more involving than having a roof.
Few years ago when visiting the Bay Area, we had the bright idea to rent a convertible for the day. You get the picture – cruising over the Golden Gate out to wine country in Mustang… Now imagine the horror when all they had was a PT Cruiser convertible! Scarred for life…
There is nothing better than driving a convertible on a nice spring or fall day.
Being a pasty white guy with a receding hairline, an aversion to direct sunlight and allergies to just about all plant life makes convertibles pretty much non-starters. Not fond of glass roofs either for that matter.