If your first impulse is to answer that question with another question – namely, “What counts as a convertible?” – don’t worry about it. As long as enough of the top comes off for you to see the sky unobstructed and there’s sufficient airflow to give you a headache, it’s convertible enough for this AA. And it doesn’t matter if the car “converts” or the top is something you remove and stow in the trunk or leave in your garage. Top down, top off, entire roof goes away or just the bit over your head … whatever, it’s all good.
Now, me personally, I’m thinking of the classic “folding soft top” mode. And though the snobbery is entirely unearned, my feeling is a convertible car should either be designed for cruising, or if it’s going to be a sporting machine, it should be a roadster – that is, a car designed from the start to be topless. Once you start cutting the tops off muscular cars originally conceived with a stiffening roof, thus making them flexible flyers and neutering their handling (in my imagination, anyway), I cannot in good conscience condone the concoction.
So, while I do fancy a Mustang convertible, I would not get a GT (like below), as I would feel I was “wasting” the engine – never mind that the chassis is plenty stiff, I assume, given that it’s 2026 and engineers know things. No, give me the boostang minus a top. Or heck, let me get whatever was the last year for the V6 ‘Stang off Marketplace, that’ll be fine. Convertibles are more fun when you’re going slow, anyway.
With going slow in mind, I think the perfect convertible is a big boat, something you could fit your entire crew into for a night on the town or a trip to the beach. In college, a pal had a Chrysler Newport convertible that was the ideal machine for such things. Six people could fit comfortably, and as that massive trunk lid hints, there was ample space for beach paraphernalia (or smuggling more friends into the drive-in, I’m old).
What’s the perfect convertible to you (or targa, or whatever)?
Please, just keep it interesting, unlike Antti. I mean, get a load of this guy:
(“lol.” You don’t have to keep it interesting.)
Have had two – 981 Boxster S, and our current ND3 Miata. Never had a bad moment in either
I’m not much of a convertible fan, especially on the highway. Yet I am picking up my 3rd Miata after work tonight, an ’03 Shinsen version. (I do have a hard top for it.)
One that’s works and doesn’t leak?
I’m partial to hard top convertibles but they don’t always work for long.
So maybe a manual top Miata not that replacing the top would be fun but at $120 and and hour or four it’s not that bad.
Perfect to me is an NC or ND Miata. And it’s because of the manual soft top mechanism. I can put either up in under 5 seconds. And down in about 1 second. It’s so amazingly easy and simple, yet amazingly engineered. The cars that the top is attached to are pretty great too.
Never into convertibles but I always thought the Bronco,Blazer,and Ramcharger with the removable tops were nice.They are pretty heavy and a pain to remove but they are worth the trouble.If I remember correctly my friend had an early 2 door 4-Runner that the top came off of also.
The best one is the one you have. Second would be anything with targa roof. Never had one but they’re just so cool.
Jaguar E-Type Series I. Or an Eagle version of such.
Other than my 2009 CLK350?
I’d like very much to upgrade to an A238 E Class Convertible – or an A217 S Class Convertible.
But I also have a taste for the older Mercedes-Benz – such as the mid-cycle R129 SL500, the A124 E Class Cabriolet, and the late W111 280SE 3.5 cabriolets
Non-Mercedes?
Early 1960’s Bentley S3 Continental Mulliner Park Ward Drophead Coupe (the “Chinese Eye” Continental)
Also the 2nd gen Bentley Azure (based on the Bentley Arnage)
American?
How about the 1968 Mercury Park Lane Convertible with the 428 and Yacht Deck Paneling. Only 12 were built in this spec – unknown how many of those survive.
Then there’s Contessa Theresa DiVicenzo’s double-red 1969 Mercury Cougar XR7 428 Ram Air Cobra Jet Convertible. Que Bella!
the Paseo convertible that was only offered for like a year, and also the first gen Rav4 convertible
BMW Z4 (1st gen).
Cheap enough to own without going bankrupt.
Good engine options (hello M54B30).
Reliable if you keep up with maintenance and the occasional cooling system overhaul.
More practical than a Miata.
Comfortable enough to road trip.
Sporty enough to do track days with.
Overall, an awesome and underrated car.
I’ve got 2, Mr-s and 1st gen 4runner
Late 60’s/Early 70’s Land Yacht
Shelby Cobra!
Does it count as a convertible? I am not sure.
It’s topless and you can wear a rain coat, so I’ll allow it.
Most of those small British convertibles from the ’60s and ’70s.
We have an inherited ’77 MGB in the garage. It’s getting taken to A&W for it’s first outing either later this week or some time next week.
The fun thing about that car is that I can adjust the passenger-side door mirror from the driver’s seat – without any electronics or cables! – just by reaching over with my right hand.
We don’t get it up to much more than 50 mph, but it’s great cruising with the top down.
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