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20 convertibles that push the envelope

Theoretically, any vehicle can become a convertible; that’s good and bad.

Joe Duarte
Published: May 8, 2016, 5:30 PM
Updated: May 11, 2016, 8:15 PM

Theoretically, any vehicle can become a convertible; that’s good and bad.

Anyone from Europe is familiar with convertible models of just about any vehicle. Some are great; some serve their purpose; some are just plain bad. Here are 20 that fit into all those categories. ▲

Blue Lada Samara Cabrio.

It seems that if you market a small car in Europe, you have to have a convertible model, especially for those Mediterranean coastline states. The Lada Samara was to be the car that would make Russian automaking trendy in Europe, meant to capture mainstream customers with a combination of good looks and low prices. To achieve that end, it was made in seven bodystyles, including a 2-seat convertible called Natacha in some markets. ▲

Red 1961 BMW Isetta Cabriolet Back View.

The trend started in the 1950s with the tiny 1-door bubble car Isetta, created by Iso of Italy and made in several countries under licence. Most people know Germany’s BMW Isetta, which reengineered much of the car but kept the design. As with many historic European cars, the roof was often cut to create a sunroof, covered by a folding fabric flap. It wasn’t long before somebody figured out you could remove the wraparound Isetta rear window and replace it with a fold-down fabric hood. ▲

Driving a Ford StreetKa.

The Ka is Ford’s city car — a 2-door hatchback that in its first generation also included a roadster version. Designed by Ford (adapted from a Ghia concept design) and build by Pininfarina, it featured a manually operated fabric top and also came with an optional removable hardtop. A Ka in name, it shares very little with the Ka hatchback — the hood lid and headlights on the outside; and most interior trim bits. ▲

Yellow 1991 Geo Metro Convertible Front View.

The “any car can be a convertible” trend did attempt to gain a foothold in North America with the 1990 Geo Metro convertible (Pontiac Sunfire convertible in Canada), the lowest priced convertible in Canada. Performance and body integrity were not great but it offered open-air freedom to buyers who might otherwise be priced out of the segment. Quick acceptance resulted in a production increase in 1991 but the next year it was discontinued. ▲

Orange 2017 Range Rover Evoque Convertible Back View.

The latest unlikely convertible is the upscale utility Evoque, which debuted in 2- and 4-door hardtop models. The squat, sporty profile actually lends itself nicely to a Z-folding fabric roof and the profile of the top-up convertible is true to the full-metal model. Unlike other canvas-topped utes before it, Evoque goes without roll bars or door frames that stay in place when the roof goes down. ▲

Green 2011 Nissan Murano CrossCabriolet.

There’s a chance the Evoque convertible may have never come to market had it not been for the regional success of the Murano CrossCabriolet — the world’s first crossover convertible. It’s an interesting vehicle, though not handsome by some people’s measure of beauty, but it had the right mix of edge and quality that often garners a cult following. ▲

Grey Isuzu VX-O2 Back View.

Before the creation of the CrossCabriolet, Isuzu showed a concept version of its VehiCROSS compact utility that was marketed briefly in the US. Created in Isuzu’s California studios and produced by ItalDesign, the VX-O2 had the VehiCROSS top and rear seats removed and replaced by the historical speedster short windshield and hooded rear panel behind the seats. It was billed as an excellent off-roader but never produced. ▲

Blue 1996 Suzuki X-90.

Not so much a convertible as a 2-seater with removable roof panels (T-tops), the X-90 was one of the first crossovers ever marketed, with its blend of SUV and roadster. Available in rear- or 4-wheel drive, the X-90 probably hoped to cash in on the burgeoning market for roadsters, set off by Miata about five years earlier, but with the ability to go where Miatas feared to tread. (Credit: Wikimedia Commons/AKO) ▲

Purple 2003 Chevrolet SSR Front View.

Mind you, nobody did the convertible crossover as definitively as the SSR — essentially a pickup Corvette. It started off as a low-riding rear-wheel drive retro-looking 2-seat pickup with a power-retractable roof, and using the 300-hp 5.3-litre Vortec V-8 and a Chevy TrailBlazer platform. It soon evolved into a “muscle” pickup using the Corvette 400-hp LS2 6.0-litre V-8 and a manual gearbox. ▲

Red 1989 Dodge Dakota Convertible Pickup.

Before Chevrolet explored the viability of a roadster pickup, though, Dodge had put a soft top on its Dakota midsized pickup. The neat things about the Dakota convertible was that it retained the utility of a pickup and had a surprisingly true-to-bodystyle profile when the manually-operated fabric roof was up. A rollbar behind the seats provided rollover safety and kept the integrity of the cabin. ▲

Nissan Evalia C Convertible Minivan.

At the other end of the utility spectrum is a Nissan NV200 (Evalia in Europe and Asia) with its roof chopped off for shuttle duty in tropical climates. Converted by Italian customizer Giovanni Vernagallo for tourism duties around Capri, Italy, the van is nonetheless available to private buyers willing to pay the hefty price of conversion. ▲

Black Mini Moke Beach Buggy.

We’re not sure if the idea for the Evalia came from the Mini Moke, but that’s what many who have been shuttled around Caribbean resorts will immediately think of. Ironically, the Moke was originally meant as a possible competitor to the original Jeep but was deemed too close to the ground to be taken seriously as a puddle jumper. Instead, it developed a cult following as a beach buggy and the rest is the stuff of legends. ▲

Grey Volkswagen Type 181 Street View.

Inspired by the Kübelwagen (Germany’s Jeep equivalent) of World War II, the Type 181 was originally built for the West German army but quickly made it into civilian life with various nameplates (depending on the region where it was sold). In North America, it was called the Thing, which seems an appropriate moniker. It was built in part from the Beetle, which at the time was being converted into dune buggies in California, so the company thought it had a sure fire beach buggy. (Credit: Wikimedia Commons/SSt) ▲

Black 1981 AMC Eagle Sundancer 4WD Convertible.

One of the historical ways to make a convertible is to create a full cabin model with a series of removable panels. One of the early examples of the modern era was an aftermarket conversion that was embraced by the company. In 1980, Griffin swapped out the roof of the monocoque Eagle for a structural Targa bar with attached manually manipulated fabric rear hood, and a removable fibreglass roof over the front seats. (Credit: Wikimedia Commons/CZmarlin) ▲

White Nissan Pulsar NX Back View.

The 2-seat Nissan Pulsar NX coupe is one of the most versatile compacts in history. In its second (and final) generation, it featured switchable rear panels that allowed it to go from notchback to wagon by replacing heavy panels (meaning it couldn’t be done easily). However, it could go without either rear section and when the roof panels (T-tops) were removed, you had a convertible (with a structural bar behind the seats). ▲

Grey Smart Roadster Convertible.

Based on a stretched Fortwo platform, the Smart Roadster was technically a Targa with a removable roof panel or power operated soft top and an enclosed rear behind the cabin. A Roadster Coupe (I know, right?) variant featured a glass extension of the roof behind the structural tridion roll bar, replacing the Roadster’s notchback — a concept and design reminiscent of the Nissan Pulsar NX. ▲

Green 1993 Honda Civic del Sol Front View.

The Civic del Sol took the idea forwarded by AMC Sundancer and Pulsar NX and created a 2-seat coupe with a faux fastback-ish design. The roof panel could be removed for open air motoring and the vertical rear window could be powered down to create a convertible with a Targa bar. The replacement for the popular CRX 2-seat hatchback never really caught on, mostly due to its awkward profile and ho-hum performance. ▲

White Honda S660 Back View.

Del Sol was probably the polar opposite of the S660, a 2015 sub-compact roadster which may end up coming to North America, though the underpowered roadster (67 hp) would likely have to get a more powerful engine for US consumption. The spiritual successor to the S500, Honda’s first mass-produced car, the rear mid-engined rear-drive roadster exhibits great looks and good balance at 45:55, front to rear. ▲

Blue BMW Z1 Convertible.

The Z1’s most unique feature were the doors that retracted down into the body work, reportedly inspired by the removable doors on some SUVs. The high sills maintain the integrity of the cabin safety cell, so the car could be driven with the doors retracted (though some markets prohibited this). It also used lightweight composite body panels that could be swapped out to change colour at the owner’s whim. ▲

Green Ford Fairlane 500 Skyliner Side View.

Long before the modern retractable hardtop was “invented,” Ford was marketing a full size 2-door sedan with a power operated hard top on its 1957 Fairlane. The design required a shorter cabin and longer trunk than the traditional Fairlane, with the roof over the 4-seat cabin stowing itself in the trunk almost intact (only a front panel folded under to save a bit of space) and pretty much taking up all usable trunk utility. ▲
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