Hats off to Ford’s topless truck

If only they made a Ford F- 150 convertible. Wait, they do? If there’s one thing you can bet on with your big American- style pick- up truck, it’s solidity. Ain’t nothin’ gonna compromise that. Well okay, maybe if you chop the roof off, it may end up slightly compromised.

But that’s exactly what Huntington Beach, Californiabased company Newport Convertible Engineering ( NCE) has done with the United States’ biggest- selling truck. It has lopped the top off just in time for . . . well, spring in the US.

The company has prised the roofs off a variety of precious metal over the years, including Maybachs, Teslas, Rolls- Royces, Nissan GT- Rs and even — deary me — a Lexus LX570.

So, peeling back a Ford F- 150 like a sardine can is probably as utilitarian as they’ve ever got. The truck in question is a 2017 Ford F- 150 SuperCrew Platinum though. Which sounds like it must be a really fancy version of the famous pick- up.

The modification looks . . . a little off, if we’re honest. The top also folds back over the wellside tray, meaning you’re not going to be collecting garden mulch and enjoying wind- in- hair motoring all at the same time. Probably a good thing, though.

Rather than some one- off, NCE have high hopes for their F- 150 convertible.

The company claims there is “worldwide demand” for the vehicle and has, apparently, made an official request to Ford Motor Company for, gulp, between 5000 and 120,000 F- 150s to chop.