BEHAVIOR
Opens and closes to expose the driver and passenger to the sun and wind and envy of other drivers.
HABITAT
Convertibles are found on sports cars and some sedans. Found more
often in warm climates, convertibles are sometimes sported even in colder regions.
HOW IT WORKS
Convertibles can be either soft tops or hard tops. Soft tops have internal structures made of plastic and metal that support the plastic and fabric top. A motor lowers and raises the top from a compartment in front of the trunk. The rigid supports pivot and fold together in a marvel of mechanical engineering. Fully extended, it clamps to the top of the windshield to hold it in place. Soft tops usually have clear plastic rear windows that fold with the rest of the top. When lowered, soft tops are covered with a protective cloth fabric that clips in place behind the rear seats.
Hard top convertibles can be removable or retractable. Retractable tops store themselves automatically inside the trunk area. To remove the top, the driver pushes a button that activates the motor. The trunk or a separate storage area opens behind the rear seat. The windows in the doors automatically open to get out of the way and the top folds into two or more pieces as it is withdrawn to the rear. Once inside the storage compartment, the lid shuts.
INTERESTING FACTS
At the dawn of the age of automobiles, cars had soft tops or no tops. Manufacturers based car designs on horse-drawn wagons and buggies, so they made cars with similar tops. At the time, driving a car was not
a practical means of transportation, as roads were poorly suited for fast driving and service stations were scattered at best. Cars were toys for the wealthy who would drive them in nice weather when a top wasn’t required.
The first hard tops came out in 1910. As cars became less expensive to own and more practical to use, hard tops dominated the market. Hard tops not only shield the passengers from the elements, they also add
rigidity to the car body and improve the aerodynamics by cutting drag. Since convertibles need room to store the top when it isn’t up, trunk space is usually compromised. On the next warm summer day, tell yourself
that’s why you don’t own a convertible.
© 2009 by Ed Sobey
All rights reserved
Published by Chicago Review Press, Incorporated
814 North Franklin Street
Chicago, Illinois 60610
ISBN: 978-1-55652-812-5
Printed in the United States of America
5 4 3 2 1
Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data
Sobey, Edwin J. C., 1948–
A field guide to automotive technology / Ed Sobey.
p. cm.
Includes index.
ISBN 978-1-55652-812-5
1. Automobiles—Popular works. 2. Mechanics—Popular works. I. Title.
TL146.5.S63 2008
629.2—dc22
2008046620
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