www.bbc.co.uk/news/articles/cx212yy4er0o
Seems sales have fallen by 90% in the past 20 years. I can't say I'd noticed but now I've read that you do hardly see them anymore. Few companies sell them I wonder if they'll disappear completely.
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You have to like motoring in the first place to want a convertible. I don't think it is high on peoples' list of things that entertain them any more.
I like the practicality of an estate and the reassurance of 4 wheel drive (which I think is more psychological than practical). But why have 'estates' declined too?
The decline in interest is real I think. The MX-5 has seen off most of the competition in terms of 2 seaters, but the fact is MX-5's are selling fewer than they were even though much of the competition has gone.
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Unsurprisingly, I see loads of convertible cars in Cornwall.
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I managed to find a brand new, original old stock full tonneau for mine. Do modern drop tops have this ecxtra available ?
Ted
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My very first car back in 1970 was a deep blue Triumph Herald convertible with a white hood.
Cost me all of 30 quid + another £30 to get the chassis welded up.
Twin SUs too - I learnt a lot about cars fiddling about with it - even bought an SPQR tappet adjuster :)
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>>
>> I managed to find a brand new, original old stock full tonneau for mine. Do
>> modern drop tops have this ecxtra available ?
>>
>> Ted
>>
I imagine the ubiquity of the electric roof that’s completed concealed when down (Mini and Fiat 500 excepted…) and that can be put up in a matter of seconds has eliminated the need for a tonneau cover on any convertible sold new in the last 30 years!
I like a convertible - the British weather is fairly suitable for one IMO as it’s not often too hot to have the roof down. We’ve had one in some way shape of form for most of the past 30 years, often as a ‘main’ car. At the moment though I only have an old SLK to fill that gap. Mercedes are hanging in there on the convertible front, but even they have replaced the E and C class convertible with one model bridging both. Not a bad looking car (of its type) I don’t think, but there was a time when Audi, BMW, Saab and Volvo also had soft tops of a similar size and now it’s only Merc and BMW, whose 4 series is a gawky looking thing to my eyes at least.
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>>
>> I managed to find a brand new, original old stock full tonneau for mine. Do
>> modern drop tops have this ecxtra available ?
>>
>> Ted
Generally not AFAIK, although I have seen one on a Mk1 MX-5 which was probably bespoke. My pal had one for his XK120 Roadster, which made sense as it otherwise had no weather protection.
The hood on most moderns is so good and quick to put up that a traditional tonneau seems redundant. I was caught in the rain in the MX-5 last week. I did choose to stop rather than risk a swerve into a ditch, but it was literally reach behind, pull it over, and close one latch - quicker than typing it.
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I got my first soft-top 205 in 1991 and took it to Switzerland a few weeks later. The roof was only up overnight for a couple of weeks. Convertibles are a very British fad, as I never saw another while we were abroad. I've had three or four others since, including a purple 306 with tan leather, but I have settled for hatchbacks since. One of those 205s now resides in Nice ! Soft-top roofs are usually watertight but the absence of gutters over the doors means getting out can be a damp experience.
I reckon the problems of hard-top convertibles may have helped to diminish interest ?
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When my lottery win comes through, I still plan to do my cross europe trip in a Bentley convertible.....
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Few hard top convertibles look right to me, especially those based on hatch/coupe/saloon platforms. Yes, Micro convertible, I’m looking at you as the worst of the genre! Having said that Mercedes did seem to have made it work with the SLK and the SL, though the SLK has been discontinued and the SL seems to be a traditional soft top again. And only available in AMG / AMG-lite variants.
But I guess the decline in sales / availability has also mirrored that of the coupes on which they were sometimes based, and the decline in 3 door hatches. There was a time that most (all?) small and medium sized hatches were available as 3 doors, making a convertible an easier(er) conversions. But now, assuming you can even find a small hatch, they are 5 doors, as are the golf sized ones as well. Mid sized coupes are also almost all gone…again Mercedes are hanging on, and I think you can still get a BMW 2 series or 4 series. Nothing from Audi though. The Japanese have exited the market in the UK, along with Ford, Volvo, Peugeot, Renault, Citroen and Vauxhall, and Rover and Saab are dead!
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I suspect the original reason for soft tops probably to ~1930 was cost and lightness.
Even post war when power output was fairly limited, weight may have been a concern.
Having owner a few, I fully appreciate the emotional connection with the driving experience - safer than a motorcycle without a crash helmet.
But the days of uncongested roads ideal for a Sunday morning blast are long gone for most, speed cameras and traffic having eliminated a lot of driving pleasure.
Folk increasingly view cars as white goods with wheels. Even the best convertibles were compromised on seating and luggage space. Performance advantages associated with “sports” cars no longer exist and weakened structural integrity missing a roof is inevitable
Internal space, security, economy, climate control etc means that for most a convertible won’t even make it to the shortlist.
Last edited by: Terry on Thu 18 Jun 26 at 10:47
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Peter, are you suggesting you are not a fan of the Evoque soft top then......
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>> Peter, are you suggesting you are not a fan of the Evoque soft top then......
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Charitably, perhaps it was just ahead of its time as the VW convertible SUV (T-Roc?) seems moderately popular…. But Range Rover dropped their convertible pretty quickly IIRC, and I guess they dropped the 3 door hard top variant at the same time. Neither format made it into subsequent generation of Evoque for some reason… ;)
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I’m hanging on to my 2002 bmw e46 cabriolet. It’s the 330 ci model which I’ve owned for 6 years. It’s not worth a lot , but still fun to drive with the roof down as long as it’s not raining.
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>> I’m hanging on to my 2002 bmw e46 cabriolet. It’s the 330 ci model which
>> I’ve owned for 6 years. It’s not worth a lot , but still fun to
>> drive with the roof down as long as it’s not raining.
>>
Don’t blame you. Loved my 2004 330 convertible, which I bought third hand for just under £10k when it was about four years old. The straight six was a glorious engine, and shod with Michelin CC all season tyres got me home in the snow a few times. Kept it 4 years before selling it to my nephew who wanted something reliable.
The only downside were the unheated leather seats…a lovely grey leather, still like new, as was the dark blue fabric hood, when I passed it on.
There are days when I still miss it.
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I too have a 330Ci convertible, bought on the recommendation of the "doc" on the HJ forum. It is what made me realise Alfas were not the great cars I once thought they were. Mine is facelift model and it is hard to believe these cars are nearly 25 years old. It is currently parked alongside my mother-in-law's Prius and I pause and look at it every time I close the garage door. Not many modern cars that I do that for. I nearly forgot to mention, a hard top may add a lot of weight but it makes such a difference in the winter months. A brilliant car in sunny weather but practical all year.
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Historically the UK used to buy more convertibles than most of the EU countries put together. That's because it is generally too hot over there for it to be nice to have the roof down when the sun is out. Here in the UK, our springs / summers were cooler (less so now) so it was pretty-much the ideal climate for them.
I bought a 2011 Jag XKR Convertible a year ago. I have always loved the shape of the car, be it convertible or coupe, but the convertible gives more options.
I love this car.
I thought it would be in the carport on a trickle charger for 1/2 the year, but no! Whenever the sun is out (and I'm not working), I am out in it, mainly roof down. Any excuse really. It's the first car for years that I just go out in for a drive, with no planned destination.
Heated (and cooled) seats and a heated steering wheel are standard, so it's great all year round, and to hear the supercharged 5 litre V8 either ticking over when cruising or howling / barking when you put your foot down is absolute heaven. Gosh it shifts, but is a quiet comfortable cruiser too. A perfect blend! It really is a car for all seasons, although even with the traction control on, it can step out a bit if you put your foot down coming out of a roundabout.....
I can't tell you how invigorating it is, and how much pleasure this car has brought to my life. I can't recommend it highly enough! :)
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A 6 cylinder E46 3 series, or the slightly later 1 series, was on the list of cars I was looking at in my search for a cheapish, nice to drive convertible to run alongside my everyday car. It’s harder and harder to find a nice one, but they are very nice cars if you can find one. When new I only ever had the saloon and touring; convertibles were not on the company car list. But a steel blue one with a blue roof and beige interior would have done me nicely. 330, manual please :)
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I'm with SFD, any excuse to get out with the hood down. In fact, I've never driven her with the roof up. even in the odd shower. No throaty roar of a 5 litre, just the wet fart of the Triumph 1300 ! This will be my 5th and last soft top, if I count the Bond F type between combination and car as a teenager. It wasn't strictly convertible but the roof could be unscrewed.....so it was !
After the Bond came a Wuzzly 15/60 then the pale blue Herald 1200 with white hood and tonneau, 3 years old, ex Anne Reid the actress....nice. Followed by 2 Hillman Super Minx convertibles. I'd have had another but rare now for sale with big money wanted, hence the current Herald 13/60 ! Just got her running today after some time in the workshop fitting a new head gasket together with a beautifully rebuilt Stromberg carb and electronic distributor.
Ted
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Convertible sales - Manatee
