When a convertible really isn’t
Although true hardtop convertibles are becoming popular now, there were some earlier attempts that weren’t the genuine article. These are our subjects, faux models that didn’t convert at all. They were called hardtop convertibles.
Most early cars were open, descended as they were from carriages and buggies. Rudimentary canvas tops were normal as carmakers were more concerned with mechanical reliability than passenger protection. And automobiles were rarely operated in the winter.
With improved reliability and year-round car use came an increased interest in weather protection. Enclosed cars gradually evolved, helped immeasurably by the introduction of the Dodge Brothers allsteel body in 1914.
Then in the mid-1920s, the Essex coach (priced almost the same as the open model) spurred the closed-car trend. Along with the steel-stamping genius of Edward Budd of Philadelphia, hardtops got such a boost that by 1925 closed-body sales surpassed open ones.
But open cars always retained an air of excitement. Al fresco motoring was seen as more sporty and romantic, making convertibles higher priced and more desirable collectables.
In spite of their allure, convertibles had disadvantages. They were more expensive to build and maintain and could be leaky, drafty and noisier than closed cars. Fabric tops deteriorated, and before power operation they were often difficult to erect. Why not combine the best of both worlds and create a counterfeit convertible?
An early attempt came from Dodge in 1916, when its Dodge Brothers car appeared with a “California” top. Taking out the removable frames between the side windows gave an airy convertible feeling.
A more modern step came when Chrysler produced a few 1946 prototype hardtop convertibles based on its wood-clad Chrysler Town & Country coupe. It didn’t reach production, although Chrysler would revive it in 1950.
The big splash for hardtop convertibles came from General Motors, with the introduction of the 1949 Cadillac Coupe de Ville, Buick Roadmaster Riviera and Oldsmobile 98 Holiday coupe. With their fixed tops, two-tone paint treatment, pillarless design and disappearing side windows, they resembled true convertibles with the roof erected.
Industry lore claims the phoney convertible idea evolved because a Buick executive’s wife loved the look of her convertible but always drove with the top up to avoid mussing her hair. Her husband took the story to the office and the result was the convertible that didn’t convert.
GM’s upscale hardtop convertibles were an instant success. GM followed up in 1950 with the Chevrolet Bel Air and Pontiac Chieftain hardtops, and soon all domestic manufacturers except Kaiser-Frazer, who couldn’t afford it, had hardtop convertibles. In 1953, one of the prettiest hardtops, the Studebaker Starliner coupe, made its appearance.
Hardtop convertibles continued to gain popularity, with the next big development coming when GM introduced the 1955 Buick Riviera and Oldsmobile Holiday four-door hardtops.
As before, other manufacturers followed, and it was a short step from there to a four-door hardtop station wagon, coming first on the American Motors 1956 Nash Rambler Cross Country. Oldsmobile and Buick hardtop wagons followed in ’57.
The faux convertible continued as a staple in North America into the 1970s, and then largely died out. In that dismal automotive decade, the public simply lost interest, just as it did in true convertibles.
We should also note that, just as today, there were some early genuine hardtop convertibles that actually lowered their tops. The first came from Peugeot in France in 1934, when it unveiled its Eclipse coupe model with an electrically operated hardtop. It was stored in the trunk, and to erect it the rear-hinged deck lid rose up and the top glided up and over the passengers.
In 1947, the upstart Buffalo-based Playboy coupe had a folding steel top, but fewer than 100 Playboys were produced before it left the scene.
The idea was revived by Ford Motor Co.’s mid1957 Ford Fairlane 500 Skyliner retractable hardtop. Compared with the Peugeot, it was a complicated affair requiring six electric motors instead of the Peugeot’s one, mainly because the Ford was a much larger four/five passenger car with a longer roofline.
To convert, the top rose up on struts and moved into the trunk. The roof was so long its leading edge had to fold under for storage. Trunk space was reduced to a small rectangular tub-like container. The Skyliner proved complicated and was discontinued in 1959.
Current true hardtop convertibles are much more efficient than Ford’s retractable, although they continue to compromise trunk space. Slickfolding hardtops now come from several manufacturers.
Today’s folding hardtops are the real thing, but those ersatz hardtop convertibles of yore met the desires of those who wanted a convertible’s dashing appearance with a hardtop’s advantages.