Apologies to Twitter followers who have already heard me rant on this subject, but after driving into the office, overheating in my tin-top, I am fuming. I am fully aware that my ire is entirely brought on by jealousy, but its focus is nonetheless valid, and it is this: convertibles.
Actually, that’s not fair: it isn’t all convertibles, but specifically drop-tops build within the past eight years (and therefore including a plethora of folding hard-top jobs).
Why is it that EVERY modern cabrio you see, from chopped Golfs and Peugeots to Boxsters, Beemers and the like, drives around with its top up, windows hermetically sealed and occupants basking in air-conditioned cool? How is that better than lifting the lid? For crying out loud, why did you pay all of that extra cash for a heavier, less structurally rigid car if you aren’t going to enjoy its one great plus point: wind in the hair and sun on the face? It’s certainly not for the style – even the neatest canvas top looks gawky up, and folding tin-tops tend to make cars look like they have a receding hairline.
As a former Fiat 124 Spider owner whose financial and family circumstances mean that another open two-seater is just not viable at the moment, I dream of the days when I can have a top-down commute. Maybe a top-down trip to the shops, or even a top-down transcontinental blast.
