Last week, Autopian Asks asked you to name cars that were really deserving of the drop-top treatment but never got convertible options from the factory (or possibly even from the aftermarket).
The staff offered a few suggestions, and we probably could have come up with a lot more. We didn’t need to, since with nearly 100 comments, the Autopian hive mind came through with plenty of answers (and then some).
However, one response from commenter Pat Rich felt rather poignant:
Well, that’s a valid point. Let’s see ’em!
A bit of Google-fu reveals many of the convertibles that commenters suggested already exist in some form, be it an aftermarket conversion or one-off concepts from the brands themselves. Others I’ve already scribbled up myself; and if I haven’t, then I need to fire up my system and get to work. Regardless, if it’s pictures you want, it’s pictures you get.
Dodge Challenger Convertible
This was probably the most popular request in the comment, and it’s easy to see why. With Mustangs and (now discontinued) Camaros offered as ragtops, it would seem only natural for Mopar buyers to be able to buy an open Challenger as well. Dodge never offered such a conversion from the factory, but from August of 2022 you could have ordered a Challenger Convertible from a dealer and work with conversion firm Drop Top Customs to make your own.
Any Challenger R/T, R/T Scat Pack, or Challenger SRT model could have been converted from 2022 or 2023 (and they’ll likely do the work on any Chally for something like $26,000).
Toyota 86/Subaru BRZ Convertible
Another one that staff and commenters together seemed to want was a droptop version of Toyota’s small rear-drive sports coupe. In fact, Toyota presented renderings of such a car in 2013; the frameless door glass and a trunk lid (instead of a hatchback) on these cars certainly meant that they thought about a production convertible version.
Sadly, it was not meant to be. Some cited the drop in sales of convertibles in general making in not worth Toyota’s time to put in the money and effort required.
Others claimed that the lack of rigidity from a removed roof would hurt the car, but I think that’s assuming too much of buyers who likely would have just wanted a slightly larger Miata with a kid’s back seat. It certainly might have expanded the market from hardcore enthusiasts who tend to gravitate towards the 86.
Convertible Mavs and RAVs and Muranos, Oh My
As controversial as cabriolet crossovers and pickups seem to be, some people did request them in our Autopian Asks. Sure, things like the Dakota convertible from the late eighties and the Murano and Evoque droptops had rather miserable sales, yet our readers still wanted to see new renditions.
In case you missed it, I’ve actually already wasted countless hours of my life that I’ll never get back making renderings of those exact products as convertibles or “targa”-style open products; I’ve dropped them below so you can go ahead and get a chance to tear them apart if you haven’t already.
I mean, you might actually like them too, but I’m not holding my breath.
Tesla Convertibles
Love ‘em or loathe ‘em, there were requests for an open-top Telsa. I’ve already sketched up a couple of examples of that brand in past posts, including a Swiss-built custom luxury Monteverdi-branded Model S converted to a two-door convertible.
There is also a topless Cybertruck that I rendered with a retractable roof system that collapses into the bed. Oh, and two windshield wipers instead of that stupid giant single blade.
I mean, it’s still a Cybertruck for better or worse, but at least you can get rid of the pyramid shape with a push of a button.
Non-Mustang Ford Coupe Convertibles
A surprising number of requests for 1970s-’90s fancy Ford products were in the comments. Most of these have already been done in some form from the 1969 Mark III all the way up through the aero-looking 1984-92 Mark VII. However, the dark horse request was for a chop-top version of the last big Lincoln coupe- the 1993 Mark VIII- and it actually came out quite nicely.
This particular example once belonged to early rocker and underage-cousin-marrying Jerry Lee Lewis:
Convertible versions of later Thunderbirds also appeared as requests in the comments, including the ultra-popular 1977-79 model. I did indeed see an example of one of these for sale that had gone under the knife.
The end result is, unfortunately, a bit slab-sided with the top down, and with the canvas roof raised, it looks rather clunky and appears dark as a cave inside. Worst of all, the signature “basket handle” roof and expansive greenhouse of this era’s ‘Bird is gone.
There might be a better way. Even as a kid, I was surprised that Ford offered a T-top roof for this Thunderbird and could easily have made an openable canvas roof right behind the “basket handle” in a manner similar to a Lancia Beta Zagato. They’d have had a convertible with likely no loss in structural rigidity, some kind of rollover protection and a conversion that probably would have cost them very little time and money to do. Take a look at my rendering below showing the T-top glass removed and the rear roof retracted:
The T-Bird’s Fox-body baby brother at the time had the same roofline, so a similar targa top-with-folding-rear-roof convertible Fairmont Futura could have also been offered, as seen below. Ford could have sold both a luxo-barge and more Euro-styled-and-sized convertible for a seemingly limited investment.
… But it didn’t happen. Instead, Ford fired Lee Iacocca, who ended up reviving the convertible with the Chrysler Lebaron in 1982. Opportunity missed.
Commenters also asked for newer open Blue Oval products. Ford continued to tease us with sedans-turned-to-convertible-coupe concepts through the next few decades. In 1989, the auto show circuit saw a Mercury Sable converted to a two-door droptop (a car that has come up for sale in the past):
Even the big Panther-chassis Ford got the treatment in the sunset years of its life. The 2002 Mercury Marauder concept was a Grand-ma Marquis with the roof and two doors missing; essentially the first full-sized Ford convertible since around 1972. This one was especially cool-looking in my book.
Naturally, neither the Sable nor Marauder went anywhere but the history books, but they’re great what-ifs.
Chevrolet Monte Carlo
Various seventies Monte Carlos were suggested by commenters, but the first generation did the swoopy-flanks aesthetic so well that I assumed that it might be the best candidate for a conversion. Boy, was I ever right. Look at this gorgeous one-off somebody created:
Those exaggerated “pontoon” fenders look perfect in a convertible. It’s a shame that the launch of the Monte came just as manufacturers were starting to fear the upcoming rollover safety standards that never happened; hardly anyone was launching new droptops, and all the American convertibles were gone by 1976.
Datsun Z-Car
This one was my ask, since I somehow remember seeing a few conversions done years back that were rather fetching. The more rounded first series S30 seems to be the best Z for the droptop to visually work, looking a bit like an E-Type but without the upright windscreen issues that give our Adrian seizures.
Most of the S30 Z cabrio conversions I see for sale online are later 260 and 280Z models, since they tend to be less valuable and therefore more sacrificial than the vaunted initial 240 model. Honestly, it’s probably a better choice since we appreciated instant starts from the fuel injection system in the 280Z we owned, as well as the ice-cold A/C.
I like the look of the one for sale here with the 5MPH bumpers removed, though as a Real Car I’m glad ours had them.
AMC Matador Coupe
Where did this suggestion come from? Talk about an Autopian choice here. This poor commenter took some heat from a few haters, but they just knew that our website champions virtually anything and everything from the last independent American automaker.
As AMC’s 1974 replacement for the Javelin, the Matador coupe was their entry into the bustling “personal luxury car” segment, and it was everything you would hope a Kenosha product would be. Bizarre “Kilroy Was Here” headlamps bulging out of the hood, a swoopy roofline when everyone else was going with upright back windows, and even an Oleg Cassini-styled edition were all the expected polarizing qualities that spelled an early death for the Matador coupe.
As with most AMC products, I’ve always had a soft spot for this thing, yet I had no idea how slick it would look as an open car. This rendering I did is unironically hot:
“Sure,” you say, “It’s better, but those battering ram bumpers just kill it”. Well, let’s spray some PB Blaster on the bumper bolts, take them off and cover up the holes:
If you still hate it, that’s fine, but you’re wrong. I’m sorry; that commenter was spot on with this one.
Nissan Pao
One commenter had Jason Torchinsky’s interests at heart, feeling that Torch needed a convertible in his life. He probably does, but it wouldn’t be the first time; you might remember a few weeks back, Jason mentioned the first-generation VW Rabbit Cabrio that he owned, complete with “basket hoop” roof and rear windows that didn’t roll down all the way. That car is obviously long gone and now replaced in part by a Nissan Pao “Pike” car.
Why not mesh both of these cars? That “basket handle” would provide the same structural rigidity to the Pao that it did on the Rabbit, and I think we could find enough room to lower those quarter windows flush with the beltline.
Kind of cute, right? Plus it’s got the looks of two cars that Torch loves combined with Japanese reliability. Jason already has two VW he either can’t drive or can’t depend on, and I think a thirty-five year old Bosch fuel system would make revisiting old Rabbit ragtop ownership a far worse choice.
Keep Chopping?
That’s about all the cutting I can do for one day; you know how your arm gets shaky after holding a Sawzall for too long? Maybe I missed your suggestion, but I’ll be back at again soon, I’m sure.
Keep those suggestions coming!
A Ford Maverick Could Be The Affordable, Practical Convertible The Market Is Missing – The Autopian
Subaru Needs To Bring The Weird Back With A New BRAT – The Autopian
Does The New Dodge Charger Mean That A Revived Chrysler Cordoba Won’t Be Far Behind? – The Autopian
How An Open-Topped Two-Door Could Bring Back The Fun Missing From Toyota’s RAV4 – The Autopian
Give me a GTI Cabriolet!
Is it just me, or…
IMO, every vehicle that has a convertible soft top variant (as opposed to being designed as a topless from the beginning) looks worse as a convertible. Bad even, in a lot of cases.
Mind you, I absolutely believe they’re more fun to be in than their non-convertible form, and not by a little. But as an object to be viewed, they look worse. And when the top is up, not by a little. (The latter does not necessarily apply to hard tops.)
I’d be very happy to be forced to back down from that “every” stance, but as of now I’m sticking with it.
The Mercury Marauder looks surprisingly good, though, don’t you think?
I love a Marauder but no, not as a convertible.
Chopping the top does nothing for it. In fact, when the blacked out glass disappears along with the roof, a big part of its mystique goes with it. Without the context of the top the bottom is just a big slab of boring, the most mundane part of your Memaw’s Grand Marquis, with a belt line so high that a car load of you and your friends would look like a bunch of heads floating in a bathtub.
I’ll further note that I can’t find a single instance of the soft top being up. Probably because it looks like hot garbage, but that’s just speculation based on the Grand Marquis with carriage tops.
Soft tops always look ugly up, especially on an expensive car.
I’m surprised that Tesla did not have a convertible top, or what we would call, a “Fire Exit”
My first car was a 1972 Monte Carlo 454. Yeah my dad wasn’t thinking right when he bought it when I was 17. hahahaa… I loved that car so much, but it was a money pit and we got rid of it a few years later. I don’t loooove convertibles but that Monte vert looks awesome.
Cool car! A guy I worked with had the SS454 version (either 70 or 71, I think that’s the only years it could have been) and it was very cool, like a low-key muscle car for grown-ups that still kicked ass.