Convertibles have always been popular on paper but they’ve generally been low-volume models on the market. Rag tops are a hard purchase to justify for most buyers, earning them a niche status that discourages many automakers from venturing too far into the world of convertibles.
Convertibles face other setbacks including high development costs. Chopping the roof off of a car typically reduces rigidity so engineers often have to add extra sheet metal, increasing weight and sacrificing performance. Designing a weight-neutral convertible conversion is easier said than done, and an expensive endeavor by most accounts.
What classic car do you think should have been made into a convertible? For the sake of this argument we’ll say a classic is any car that is at least 25-years old.
This is a bit of a shot in the dark but hear us out: We feel like the Citroën Ami 8 would have made a great convertible. The experimental Wankel-powered M35 (pictured below) gave us an accurate idea of what a two-door Ami would look like. Now, imagine a two-door body similar to that of the M35 but fitted with a standard Ami 8 front fascia and a soft top that gives the car a three-box silhouette. Toss out the Wankel in favor of an Ami-sourced 602cc air-cooled flat-twin and you’ve got the poor man’s alternative to the Peugeot 204 convertible.
volvo 242 and 1800.
Definitely the Panhard 24CT and how about the CX while we are on Citroens.
Graber made tantalising one off cabriolets of the Rover P3, P5 and P6. Chapron did a P5 as well – google them and drool.
First generation Honda CRX. A California company made a few, one was featured in R&T in the early 80’s. A Miata competitor that the later Del Sol (Del Slo) never was.
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The Ami Service Van had teh same lines of the M35 (the lower part, obviously, and the 2 door conficuration) so somebody decided to chop it up and creating a a DIY convertible:


the*, configuration*and an “a” less. God, where is my brain?? I can’t edit the previous message.