I have often said that there are two kinds of cars, hardtops and convertibles. Aside from a dinner break, I have been at the office all day. it's now 10:00 pm. Rest assured I'll have the top down on the way home. When the weather's right, any other hardcore convertible fans out there?
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Feb. 18, 2008 8:58 p.m. David S. Wallens Editorial Director
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Feb. 18, 2008 9:24 p.m. Tim Baxter Online Editor
We've had 25 winter storms this year. I'm waiting impatiently for the day I take the hardtop off the Miata.
I used to LOVE night drives with the top down on my MG Phoenix. The desert air, city lights, and MG burble all just made for some wonderful drives.
I've also been known to drive with the top down in the rain. If you go fast enough, you don't even get wet.
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Feb. 19, 2008 4:42 a.m. aeronca65t
Not always possible with my daily-driver Miata here in New Jersey (see below).
But whenever the weather allows.....
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Feb. 19, 2008 5:26 a.m. ddavidv
That used to be me, but I think I'm over it. Between living in the NE where the weather sucks more often than not, and a few scorching 98 degree days, I no longer feel the need to be at one with nature every time I drive. Still, I do miss having an open car. I find that this is one area the domestic car makers are superior. My '65 Skylark was probably the most enjoyable convertible. Large seats, quiet, and NO buffetting. Most sports cars I find the wind buffetting tires you (the same with Jeeps). Driving the Skylark left me refreshed. Driving my Fiat for a couple hours left me seeking a nap. Obviously not a reflection on either car's performance!
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Feb. 19, 2008 7:49 a.m. Mowog
Just get one of each.
A BGT for when it's really cold or really hot and a roadster for the other days. Make sure one is a V8.
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Feb. 19, 2008 11:14 a.m. Bryan
I have to agree with ddavidv and mowog. Love my '99 Miata and would never put a hardtop on it but summers can be brutal here in west Texas. Still top down on a warm summer night, heaven on earth. Not to mention the visabilty on the autocross course. That said if I ever get another sportscar it will be a tintop. My Maxima on a raindrenched auto-x course is pretty good.
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Feb. 19, 2008 3:44 p.m. JagLite
I have owned and driven two cars that had NO tops. The first was my '59 MGA in sunny CA. Fantastic for cruising the coastline. The second was a '74 VW Thing in Hawaii. Perfect beach cruiser and tanning machine. Yes, if you go fast enough you don't get wet in the rain. But I was (a lot!) younger then and could handle the heat much better. Now I really appreciate A/C on those hot days.
So now at 53 I drive a '00 Miata every day. Hard top on for the winter (9 months here in Alaska) and off for the summer. Best of both worlds to me. I am glad I can lock up the car with the hard top on though. I like the new folding hardtop but I don't like the car, the MX5 that is.
Our autocross events in the spring usually mean the hardtop is still on, but that is ok since it only takes about 30 seconds to pop it off. Much less time than putting on the race tires by far!
James
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Feb. 19, 2008 4:00 p.m. Nick_95_6sp
I've had some 'verts in the past, though none owned now. But at least my Supra has a "t top" so the entire roof panel from the windshield header to just behind the front seats comes off (alum. so it's lightweight and easily stows in the trunk/boot) ...it's nice but not as open feeling as a convertible. I love cruising with the top off so I'm sure I will own a convertible again some day.
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Feb. 19, 2008 4:58 p.m. ae86andkp61
I am a hardcore coupe fan all the way! I passed up a great deal on a Bugeye Sprite with lots of go-fast goodies, and loved a bone-stock Toyota Starlet. I've never gotten around to building that Locost Seven, but have seriously considered more than one Elan FHC.
The benefits seem numerous: stiffer, lighter, more storage space, more comfortable, often quieter, less seasonal, easier to store in not totally weatherproof storage, etc. If I want the wind in my hair and the elements around me, that is what motorcycles and bicycles are for!
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Feb. 19, 2008 5:49 p.m. AndreGT6
Bought the GT6 for a reason ;)
I might be hot during the summer, but for the fall runs, I'm the most comfortable man in the group.
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Feb. 19, 2008 9:52 p.m. jm1na
Just enjoyed another great drive in the MGB today. Around +9C or so here.
With gloves, a high neck jacket or scarf and a touque to cover the ears when it get's to cold, it's one of my favourite times to have a covertible. I thought a BGT would be nice for winter spins while my '91 Miata hibernates for the winter, but I've decided that I would miss the winter top down drives too much so I'm keeping the B and the Miata. I know, two convertibles... I'm nuts! -
Feb. 20, 2008 7:52 a.m. JFX001
I found this in a magazine when I was in HS. I had a '65 Mustang convertible, bought in '85. It had no author listed.
"Most of us have fond memories from our mis-spent youths.If we weren't lucky enough to have a ragtop we probably knew someone who did.
For those not blessed with dashing looks or athletic stardom, a convertible - any convertible - meant instant popularity. It didn't have to be new. It didn't have to be expensive. It needed only to have a top that removed or retracted.
In those days, at least, no better magnet for the opposite sex had yet been invented.
Convertibles were for dating and courting.For summer nights and starlit skies. For cruising with your pals, showing off and getting into mischief."
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Feb. 20, 2008 10:39 a.m. rconlon
40 degrees was about my limit. Then I would not test the plasticity of the rear window. When I commuted kids to school and me to work the top was down for driving and up for parking on most days in the mild Oklahoma winters. Now I walk to work and use the Fiat on weekends. I stays parked in the garage with top down and boot on ready for me. A friend saw me recently as I walked and asked where my convertible was. In answer, I lifted my hat and looked up - the untimate open air experience. Cheers Ron
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Feb. 20, 2008 2:03 p.m. Nick_95_6sp
the road to hell is paved with good intentions ...so my first car was a convertible, my beloved '67 E-type Roadster. It also had a good heater, so the roof was down very often. That Jag seemed structurally very tight, more so than my '95 Supra t-top which has noticeable chassis flex.
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Feb. 20, 2008 2:57 p.m. mgb65
I would say that I am a hardcore top down guy. My top would be down no matter what the weather, not a big deal in FL, but winters in Eastern NC got a bit cold for top down.
We have maintained a tradition of Christmas eve drives with the top down, no matter what the weather.
Ron
...Semper Fidelis...
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Feb. 20, 2008 3:04 p.m. Keith
AndreGT6, when I drove a GT6 from London to Ottawa in the middle of winter, I had the heat turned off and I was still toasty warm
I used to be hardcore into convertibles - top down in -10C, driving across Ontario in the winter with the toneau on, that kind of thing. And I do still have a couple of convertibles in the garage. But I've found that I get my kicks elsewhere these days, possibly because I'm more likely to travel with company and it's easier to carry a conversation at speed with the roof on. My street Miata wears a hardtop for part of the year and it's not unusual for us to stick the hardtop on for the 250 mile drive to the track, take it off for a track day, then back on again for the trip home.
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Feb. 20, 2008 4:39 p.m. Gary
The factory steel hardtop for my Spitrod isn't restored yet, but when it is it'll stay permanently attached to the car mainly because I think early Spitfires look better with the hardtop.
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Feb. 20, 2008 6:48 p.m. AndreGT6
I don't mind the odd open top fun, but for me the wind noise gets to me after a while.
I edit video all day, so I tend to be on the protective side for my eyes and hears.
Even if I ever get my vintage Spit racer, I'll most likely run with a hard top.
A.
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Feb. 20, 2008 8:40 p.m. Bryan
Something else no one has mentioned. Certain times of the year I just can't drive with the top down because of allegries. I'm a real wuss but last year even taking Claritin-D I just could not drive with the top down which was embarrassing during some Miata club rallyes. Luckly the pollen count dropped and ran some auto-x in November, top down with 80 degree weather. But the rest of the year the top in down whenever I can.
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Feb. 21, 2008 12:36 a.m. Bringatrailer_dot_com
Totally depends on the model...
The design of many hardtops trumps the open versions ('63 Vette, Boss 302, Porsche 356A, etc), but some roadsters are near perfect (Healey 100-4, MGB, early Giulietta, etc).
Chocie depends on the day, route, and which side of the bed you wake up on!
-BaT
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Feb. 21, 2008 5:39 a.m. ddavidv
"For those not blessed with dashing looks or athletic stardom, a convertible - any convertible - meant instant popularity. It didn't have to be new. It didn't have to be expensive. It needed only to have a top that removed or retracted." Quite true. That Skylark I mentioned prior wasn't a show car by any means, but everyone liked it, particularly females. They didn't care that it had a weak nailhead and no options. I found that the Buick was more 'approachable' to the average person than a sports car. I think some people misunderstand sports cars and their owners as being somehow snobbish or better. My restored Fiat rarely got the kind of attention that the cosmetically challenged GM-mobile or even my old pickup gets at shows.
And the Mini, well that's something else entirely!
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Feb. 22, 2008 10:37 a.m. wcelliot
That's like saying there are two kinds of ships... submarines and targets.
Hardcore convertible fan here... if it's not raining and is above about 50 (that number climbs as my age does) the top is down.
Targas don't count (would rather have a coupe) and hardtop (no B pillar) coupes are my second preference...
Too many small hardtops are just claustrophobic (and this from an ex submarine guy)... as an example I LOVE the IDEA of a Europa, but couldn't live with one...
Bill
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Feb. 22, 2008 2:01 p.m. AndreGT6
If I owned a TR4, I'd want a surry top.
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Feb. 23, 2008 8:08 p.m. Shinsen774
My first car was a convertible ('65 Mustang) and today I have a 2003 Miata and a 1964 MGB. In the Miata I drop the top anytime it is bearable (MX-5 has a great heater). MGB top goes up and stays up in November and comes down in March. In the Miata I can drop or raise the top from the drivers seat in about 4 seconds. The MGB is a more time consuming endeavor.
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April 24, 2008 1:06 a.m. Trev98
One of each!
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