DriveTimes five
The coolest convertibles Convertibles: some people love them, others hate them. We’re guessing Donald Trump isn’t in that first group, for hair reasons. However, there are some very interesting ones out there; here are five of our favourites, most of them
Porsche 356 Speedster
Stripped back and simple even by Porsche 356 standards, the Speedster was a hit in 1954 after it was produced as a spartan model for weekend racing. A cut-down windscreen and minimal folding roof were the visual cues of the Speedster, while the driving experience was pure sports car. The VW-derived flat-four engine (with different cylinder heads, camshaft, crankshaft, intake and exhaust manifolds, dual carburettors and double the power) and four-speed manual transmission were perfect for pushing the 800kg car along at a rate that is impressive even today. The handling was just sublime – particularly for a car that had its engine hanging out the back.
Mazda MX-5
The car that single-handedly saved the small, affordable roadster from extinction (the elderly, struggling Alfa Romeo Spider was about the only comparable car in production when the MX-5 was introduced in 1989) was a great drive when it was launched and remains so today. Okay, so some of the later generations almost lost the plot, but the current version strips things back nicely to the original car’s concept again. Like the Porsche 356 (and the Lotus Seven that we really wanted to include here too) the MX-5 is all about the delightful simplicity of driving a small, light car quickly with the top down. It’s the essence of driving enjoyment.
Jeep Wrangler
Here’s a different one! The Wrangler is an icon (like most other cars on this list) but not for its agility, sharp dynamics or comfort – rather for its ability to dismiss all that silliness and simply go anywhere it damn well likes. Removing the hard-top may put you at risk of developing a hernia or dislocating something important and the soft top will give you nightmares for years to come. But there is still little that can beat belting the Wrangler relentlessly over house-sized rocks with the top down. Our advice? Take the top off and buy a garage big enough to store the Wrangler with the roof permanently removed. It’s easier.
Cadillac Eldorado
Americans really embraced the idea of cruising around in luxury in a huge, opulent car with the top down and the Cadillac Eldorado represents that ideal in the metal. While all generations of the Eldorado personify this concept (yes, even the later non-convertible versions, to a degree) it is undoubtedly the 1959 model that represents the pinnacle of the American dream. Massive, luxurious and with tail fins that a small child could hide behind, the ‘59 Eldorado was everything that was great about America and American cars in the 1950s and 60s. It didn’t last, of course, but this is still probably the best way to travel on a lazy summer’s day, anywhere in the world.
Bugatti Veyron
What better way to mess your hair up than in a 400kmh, 746kW supercar that cost NZ$2.2 million when new? Although in truth, you couldn’t do 400kmh in the Bugatti Veyron 16.4 Grand Sport with the roof off, as the car was automatically limited to ‘‘just’’ 369kmh in that configuration. Worse still, if you had the temporary soft top fitted you could only do 131kmh: pretty embarrassing when almost anything else on the road could pass you on an autobahn. Still, the topless Veyron (it was technically a removable targa roof panel, but whatever) is still one of the most spectacularly fast, expensive and remarkable-looking open-air cars ever produced.