Convertible Facts for Kids

BMW 325Ci Convertible

A convertible is a car with a roof that can be removed or folded down, but is often seen without a roof. A convertible usually has two doors, but convertibles with four doors can also be found. Some examples are Mazda MX-5, BMW Z4, Ferrari 458 Spyder, Mercedes-Benz SLK Class, etc. A convertible is a type of automobile of various automobile body styles that can convert from open-air (top-down or topless) mode to a provisionally enclosed (roofed or top-up) mode. Convertibles evolved from the earlier Phaeton, a similar vehicle without glass side windows that may or may not have had removable panels of fabric or other material instead to protect passengers from rain and cold, etc. A semi-convertible or cabrio coach is similar to a convertible and also has a retractable or removable top, but has fully framed windows on its side doors as opposed to a convertible's roll-down frameless windows that provide an even more open car driving experience.

Roof designs have varied widely and have evolved from the earliest models, where roofs were demountable and/or detachable. Contemporary roofs are often hinged to fold away, either into a recess behind the rear seats or into the boot or trunk of the vehicle. The roof may operate either manually or automatically via hydraulic or electrical actuators, and the roof itself may be constructed of soft or rigid material. Soft-tops are made of vinyl, canvas or other textile material, while hard-tops are made of steel, aluminum, plastic, or other rigid materials.

The majority of convertible cars are two door models, with markedly fewer four-door models.

Convertibles may also be referred to as cabriolet, roadster, tourer or drophead coupé and the colloquial terms drop top and rag top are also used. Hard-top convertibles may be called coupé cabriolet, coupé convertible, retractable hardtop or, when equipped with two seats, coupé roadster/roadster coupé.

Images for kids

1897 Daimler Grafton Phaeton
1928 Ford Model A Roadster
BMW Z8 with a fabric roof in up position
1938 Peugeot 402 retracting its one-piece detachable hard roof
A Volvo C70 retractable hard roof with folding segments
MG TD open two-seater with tonneau cover over the passenger seat and luggage space
Fiat 500 Cabrio with fabric roof folded to the rear
Ford Model T circa 1925, with minimal weather protection
Bentley 4½ Litre 1929 with luxury snap-on and thumbscrew sidescreens
Aero 500 from 1929
Ford Phaeton 1934 open four-door touring car
1937 Delahaye 135MS Roadster
MG TD circa 1953, with manual soft top and detachable sidescreens with plastic windows
Lancia D23 Spyder 1953
1955 Porsche 550 Spyder
1936 Packard One-Twenty Convertible Victoria with the top in the semi-open (second) position
Fixed-profile circa 1950 Nash Rambler Convertible "Landau" Coupe
Škoda 450 from 1957
Mercedes-Benz 300d landaulet in operation
Škoda Felicia from 1959
Lincoln Continental circa 1962, four-door with automatic, self-storing tonneau
Jaguar E-type 1963, with vinyl foldable tonneau installed and snap-secured
Mercedes SL 1964, available with a detachable hardtop
1966 Rolls-Royce Phantom V landaulet
Cadillac Eldorado 1972, with detachable, two-part, fully rigid "parade boot" tonneau cover
Citroën 2CV fixed profile convertible circa 1975, with roll-back roof and rigid doors
ZIL-410441 parading on Victory Day 2011.
Rolls Royce Corniche circa 1986, with a manually installed tonneau cover
Cadillac Allanté circa 1993, with detachable, rigid plastic tonneau cover.
Volkswagen New Beetle circa 2003, with raised textile top
Porsche Boxster circa 2004, with detachable clear plastic windblocker and a Z-fold top
Citroën C3 Pluriel circa 2007 with roll-back textile roof and removable rigid sidebars
A Fiat 500 (2007) fixed-profile convertible
Jaguar XK circa 2008, with heatable glass rear window and fully automatic cloth top
1959 Ford Fairlane 500 Skyliner
Daihatsu Copen circa 2001 with retracted hardtop, kei class
Chevrolet SSR circa 2004, a retractable hardtop convertible pickup truck
Ford Focus CC circa 2006 with its roof retracted
Mazda MX-5 circa 2007, with polycarbonate hardtop
Cadillac XLR circa 2007, with aluminum hardtop concealed by tonneau cover
Volkswagen Eos circa 2007 with five-segment top and independent sunroof

Convertible facts for kids

Images for kids

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