Convertible

A convertible is a special car.

You can drive with a roof. You can also drive without one. This lets you feel the wind.

Some roofs are made of cloth. These are called soft tops. Other roofs are hard. They can be made of metal or plastic. Some hard roofs can be taken off by hand. You can put them in the trunk.

Some cars have roofs that move on their own. A machine folds the roof away. This makes it easy to change. It is fun to drive in the sun.

A convertible is a car with a special roof. You can drive with the roof on or off.

This lets you enjoy the fresh air while you drive.

Most convertibles use a soft top. This is a roof made of fabric. It sits on a folding frame.

Some soft tops use a tonneau cover. This is a cover that hides the folding parts.

Other cars have hardtops. A detachable hardtop is a solid roof. You must remove it by hand. You can often store it in the trunk.

Some cars use a retractable hardtop. This is a hard roof that moves on its own. A machine folds it away automatically.

Driving without a roof can be loud. Wind can make a lot of noise. Some cars use a windblocker to help. This is a part that stops the rushing air. It makes the ride much quieter for the people inside.

A convertible is a passenger car designed for open-air driving. You can choose to drive with a roof or without one.

This design lets people enjoy the fresh air. However, removing the roof can make the car less rigid. This means the car's structure is not as stiff. Engineers must use special modifications to fix this side effect.

Most convertibles use a folding frame with a fabric top. This is often called a soft top. Some cars use a retractable hardtop made of metal or plastic. Others use a detachable hardtop that you remove by hand.

There are many ways these roofs work. A soft top uses a folding construction framework. This frame holds up a cloth or fabric material. The folded mechanism is called a stack. Some designs fold down very low to look smooth.

A retractable hardtop is different because it is automatic. The car uses a machine to store the hard roof. This can provide better security and climate control. But it also adds more weight and complexity. A detachable hardtop is a rigid roof you must manually lift off. You can often store these in the car's trunk.

Early cars were often open-air vehicles without roofs. As engines became more powerful, folding roofs began to appear. These were made of textile or leather. In the 1920s, closed cars became more common for most people. By the mid-1930s, convertibles were mostly high-priced luxury models. In 1939, Plymouth made the first mechanically operated roof. It used two vacuum cylinders to move.

After World War II, many people liked small roadster cars. This helped the demand for convertibles grow again. In 1948, Hudson put the design into a mass-market car. Sales in the United States peaked around 1965. Later, things like air conditioning and safety rules changed the market.

Many different names are used for these cars. Some people call them cabriolets or cabrios. You might hear terms like drop top or spider.

The term cabriolet came from a light, two-wheeled horse carriage. In the United Kingdom, a two-door version was a drophead coupe. A four-door version was called an all-weather tourer. In the 1950s and 1960s, many American companies made these cars. The Rambler American and Studebaker Lark were smaller models. The Packard Caribbean and Chrysler Imperial were more expensive. Cadillac made about 14,000 convertibles in 1976. The very last one was even offered to the Smithsonian Institution.

Driving with an open top can bring new sensations. Wind and noise can be quite loud at high speeds.

To help, some cars use a windblocker. This part reduces the rushing air and noise. Some seats even have a heating duct called an Air Scarf. This keeps the driver's neck warm. Modern cars also use special safety features. They have rollover protection structures called ROPS. These include roll hoops that pop up if the car flips. They also use boron steel to make the frame very strong. This keeps passengers safe even without a roof.

A convertible, also known as a cabriolet, is a passenger car designed to be driven with or without a roof. This unique design allows for an open-air driving experience while providing a roof when weather or conditions require it.

However, removing the roof creates a significant engineering challenge. Without a fixed top, a car loses much of its structural rigidity, which is the stiffness of the vehicle's frame. To prevent the car from flexing or bending, engineers must use specific modifications to counteract the effects of the missing roof structure.

There are three primary types of convertible roofs used in automotive design. The most common is the soft top, which consists of a folding construction framework covered in flexible textile material.

Another option is the retractable hardtop, often called a coupé convertible. This system uses an automatically operated, self-storing hard roof made of metal or plastic.

Finally, there are detachable hardtops. These are rigid, removable roofs that a person must manually take off. These can often be stored in the car's trunk or boot to keep them safe.

Each roof type has different mechanical characteristics and benefits. The soft top uses an articulated folding frame, and the folded mechanism is referred to as the stack.

Some modern designs focus on a low stack height to create a smoother silhouette when the top is down. In contrast, the retractable hardtop offers better security and climate control, though it increases the car's weight and mechanical complexity. While detachable hardtops provide excellent soundproofing and weatherproofing, they are less common today because they cannot be stored inside the vehicle when not in use.

The history of the convertible is tied to the evolution of the automobile itself. Early vehicles were mostly open-air machines without roofs or sides. As engines grew more powerful at the end of the 19th century, folding textile or leather roofs began to appear.

In the 1920s, mass-produced steel bodies made closed cars available to average buyers, causing open cars to fade from the mainstream. By 1939, Plymouth introduced the first mechanically operated convertible roof, which utilized two vacuum cylinders to function.

Following World War II, American soldiers returning from Europe became familiar with small roadster cars, which helped increase demand for these models in the United States.

Convertible sales in the United States reached a peak around 1965. However, popularity began to decline over the next five years due to several factors. The rise of optional air conditioning and the availability of sunroofs or T-tops reduced the appeal of the open body style. Additionally, increased travel speeds on roads led to more wind noise, and new vehicle crash safety standards were introduced. By the mid-1970s, many major American manufacturers had discontinued convertibles. For example, Ford stopped after 1973, and most General Motors divisions stopped after 1975. Cadillac was the last major holdout, producing about 14,000 convertibles in 1976.

Despite the decline in the mid-20th century, the convertible saw a resurgence through new technology and specialized models. In 1989, Mazda released the first-generation MX-5, which became the best-selling convertible with over 1 million units sold.

That same year, Toyota released the Soarer Aerocabin, which utilized an electrically operated retractable hardtop. Specialized companies, known as coachbuilders, also helped by converting regular cars into convertibles. This included the Targa top versions of the AMC Concord and the Toyota Celica "Sunchaser." These efforts helped keep the convertible style alive in the modern market.

Modern convertibles also incorporate advanced technology to improve the driving experience and safety. To manage wind noise, some cars use a windblocker, which can reduce noise by approximately 11 to 12 dB. Some models even feature an "Air Scarf," which is a heating duct directed at the driver's neck.

Safety is also a major focus. Engineers use rollover protection structures, or ROPS, which include roll hoops that deploy during a rollover. They also use boron steel-reinforced A-pillars to create a safety cage. Furthermore, door-mounted side-impact airbags are designed to inflate upward to protect the head, even when the window is open.