BETTER PARTSThese are nine crazy, but also great folding roofs on cars
It's not always as simple as opening two clamps and throwing back the roof
Spiders, Roadsters, Topless or Convertible: roofless cars come in all shapes, sizes and names. Brands want you to believe that a convertible 'provides the ultimate feeling of freedom', or something along those lines. But convertibles can also cause additional headaches. You'll find out when you see these nine cars with crazy folding roofs.
Thanks to their crazy roof, these special convertibles have just a little more character. That is why we describe the special roofs as 'great'. This list proves that the special folding roofs on cars of all times. The oldest copy dates from 1958 while the newest was presented in May this year. Check out the nine crazy, but also great folding roofs below.
Peugeot 402 Eclipse
Did you think the 206 CC was the first Peugeot with a disappearing hardtop? Corn nun. As early as 1931, this heavy and cumbersome mechanism was patented for the 402. The roof did not fold – it simply lifted itself into the luggage compartment in one piece. Despite the cool roof, not many people bought one.
Ford Fairlane 500 Skyliner
Ford was not deterred by this: between 1957 and 1959 the brand also tried a huge retractable roof and made almost 50,000 of them. The Hide-Away Hardtop, as it was called, ran on seven electric motors and took up the entire luggage space. Here you can see how the roof disappears into the luggage compartment.
Porsche 718 Spyder RS
For the most extreme Boxster, Porsche designed a completely new roof that was 7.6 kilos lighter and even required different mounting points because of the new air intakes. You could put him on a diet even further by leaving the rear window at home and going out with just the 'bimini top'. Please read the manual carefully in advance.
Citroen C3 Pluriel
In 2003, Citroën decided to completely reinvent the small hatchback, with a folding fabric hood and roof rails that you could completely remove and leave at home. The result was this Citroën C3 Pluriel. Great on the Riviera, less great in Rotterdam. Yet it lasted in the showrooms until 2010.
Ferrari 575 Superamerica
Probably the simplest concept for a roof ever: a sheet of glass that folds back almost 180 degrees and lies upside down like an enormous shell. So yes, moisture and fallen foliage remains there, which it then dumps onto you, your passenger and the interior of your V12 sports car. Maybe they should have thought about it in Maranello.
Honda CRX Del Sol
Honda's MX-5 rival had a bizarre idea: why not slide the roof into a kind of pizza box and then lower it into the rear deck? Reliable, yes, because it is a Honda. But still: when the Honda S2000 came along, the company decided that a semi-electric soft top was smarter after all. That's why the pizza box disappeared.
Porsche 911 Targa
The Porsche 911 Targa was initially invented as a goat track, when people in the United States threatened to ban convertibles because of the rollover risks. The American ban never happened, but Porsche continued to sell the Targa anyway, with its (heavy) fabric and glass dome.
Bugatti Veyron Grand Sport
The fastest open car in the world had two panels that you had to click into the roof, but which did not fit in the luggage compartment. The owner probably had a van with butlers for that. For emergencies there was an elongated umbrella that sat between the seats. When you used it, the top speed was no longer 406 km/h, but eh… 130 km/h.
Newport Convertible Engineering Range Rover
Some cars shouldn't have soft tops, and the Range Rover is one of them. Not that the body builders at Newport Convertible Engineering cared much about that. One of these days an open Rolls-Royce Cullinan will try to get its certification with a crash test. Hope it turns out fine…