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Which convertibles look better with the top down?

Terry Bond

By Terry Bond
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Marty Roth 25,000+ Points

Marty Roth

Posted
Posted (edited)
7 hours ago, Walt G said:

I have never put the top down! Need several tall, strong  people to do that who know what they are doing so as not to loose part of a finger , that top and the fabric/cloth are heavy. Yes, it has a toneau windshield mounted to the rear of the front seat ( called an Auster screen in England when made there) . That second windshield helps tremendously with the wind factor when driving down the road so you don't blow your eyebrows off. With the large piece of glass at the center, the wings at the side and everything made of brass it is a very heavy addition to the car.

Thanks Walt,

 

Our Packard has that rear windshield, and modern expensive convertibles such as Mercedes-Benz and BMW have adapted a screen-type windscreen, some of which are manually operated and others are automatic, to accomplish the same function in keeping the wind off the back of your head.

 

Yes, having our 733, an almost exact duplicate of yours except for the color, we love the appearance with the top in place and rarely lower it,

but it looks great both ways !

Edited by Marty Roth (see edit history)
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Buffalowed Bill 10,000+ Points

Buffalowed Bill

Posted
Posted
7 hours ago, Walt G said:

Yes, my car is a 1930 Packard model 733. It is a 7 passenger! the 7 passenger tourings with the top up can vary as to how they look. The center of the top has to be higher to accommodate people sitting on the jump seats at the area behind the front seat. Some car stylists were able to work this out with the body engineers to not look like you have a big camel hump in that area. , some didn't do as well. Werner Gubitz was Packard's stylist and did a masterful job to keep a low profile on the top when it was up and viewed in profile. I have dimensions etc in line drawings of that shown in the salesman's data book. Also I have a bit of a critical eye art and design  wise because of my profession in the teaching of that as a subject. . I like the look on most 7 passenger tourings with the top up. IF the top is down it can resemble a national parks tour bus that says Pikes Peak on the side.

Here is a photo of my car from the auction catalog where I saw it and it encouraged me to drive a bit north to attend the auction.   Many people do not like 7 passenger touring cars - want the "sport" phaetons , I like big cars that can accommodate a lot of people - can then  bring my friends along. When I bought this car there was only one other guy who was bidding against me - he backed out after one bid. I love the car - am not crazy ( putting that mildly as possible) about the orange paint on the wheels and the stainless steel spokes, to much bling.

733touring001.jpg

I love the car and that look. I like a convertible regardless of the top position, however one of the things that first attracted me to the Classic Era cars was the squat position of the windshield that created the forward slopping roof. The rake is always evident on the big sedans, but once the top is lowered on the Convertible Sedans, Touring cars and Phaetons that distinct look goes away. I find myself looking at some cars and thinking I wish that they would put the top up so I can see how it really looks. I'm also a sucker for coupes, especially 3 window. So the same feeling follows for the two seater.  

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chistech 10,000+ Points

chistech

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Both my wife agree my car looks better with the roof up than down though we prefer driving it with the top down. I believe because of the long wheelbase, designed to accommodate the optional 8cyl, the roof up helps keep the overall look of the car more in perspective. With the roof down, the rear of the car appears somewhat short compared to the front. I also feel the colors of the roof help make the all black body more attractive. With the roof down, not much tan is seen. (Sorry for the picture with the hood up but wanted the same side of the car for comparison).

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31D0CB80-283E-4543-BB89-26F880F7934F.jpeg

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alsancle 25,000+ Points

alsancle

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As a kid it was de-rigor to put the top down on my GTO unless it was 35 degrees out.   As an old guy I never put any of them down.  Typically the cars look better with the top up and I don't want to mess up my nice hair.

 

However,  one car that looks much better with the top down is any XK120/140 Roadster.   Note that I'm really only talking about the roadster.  The convertible coupe doesn't look that bad as the door are higher and the top is more substantial.

 

Jaguar XK140 Market - CLASSIC.COM

DadAndMeInJag.jpeg

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31 LaSalle 5,000+ Points

31 LaSalle

Posted
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10 minutes ago, chistech said:

Both my wife agree my car looks better with the roof up than down though we prefer driving it with the top down. I believe because of the long wheelbase, designed to accommodate the optional 8cyl, the roof up helps keep the overall look of the car more in perspective. With the roof down, the rear of the car appears somewhat short compared to the front. I also feel the colors of the roof help make the all black body more attractive. With the roof down, not much tan is seen. (Sorry for the picture with the hood up but wanted the same side of the car for comparison).

7E2A647D-B04E-458E-9A0E-F36198B075CF.jpeg

31D0CB80-283E-4543-BB89-26F880F7934F.jpeg

Beautiful car no matter how you look at it  tan roof suit black body whitewalls look good with that colour combination (in my opinion)

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edinmass 25,000+ Points

edinmass

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Nothing better than a disappearing top Murphy roadster……..especially an unrestored example with 35k miles on it. One of the top five cars I have ever experienced…………and I have had them all.

 

 

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TAKerry 25,000+ Points

TAKerry

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AJ, my wife has a mustang convertible. First drop top I have ever owned (well technically, because it is HER car) I will say, if the temps hit 60 the top goes down. I would prefer driving with the top down any day over the top up. My hair is usually messy most of the time anyway, LOL.

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edinmass 25,000+ Points

edinmass

Posted
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3 hours ago, EmTee said:

I like the whitewalls.  Is that the way it would have been delivered?


This car had whitewalls on it from new…….we removed them right after this photo.

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alsancle 25,000+ Points

alsancle

Posted
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17 minutes ago, George K said:

What yours didn’t come with the hard top.913FC340-6789-417D-A638-7720770A93B1.jpeg.a1d98d25d04622546593b4bcd5b2e588.jpeg

 

George, Since you owned one I know you are one of three guys on here that knows the difference between a combination coupe and a cabriolet.   The combi top will fold flat while the cabriolet has the double top that only folds so much.

 

 

 

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CChinn 2,500+ Points

CChinn

Posted
Posted

Here’s an interesting observation:  It’s usually no, no, no on this forum when it comes to things like WW tires, fender skirts, convertible tops down, spare tire side mounts, etc. even when some of these items are original from the factory. Perhaps I’ll start a new thread on items disliked by most influential AACA General Forum members😀

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George K 10,000+ Points

George K

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22 minutes ago, alsancle said:

 

George, Since you owned one I know you are one of three guys on here that knows the difference between a combination coupe and a cabriolet.   The combi top will fold flat while the cabriolet has the double top that only folds so much.

 

 

 

I just thought you liked that German helmet look. Like a 320 hard top removable.

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Frank DuVal 10,000+ Points

Frank DuVal

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Posted (edited)

Vega. 
 

What? There was no Vega convertible. 🤔

 

I’ve seen Two!  Both unfinished projects. One on a used car lot. The other in a small inner city used parts emporium (junkyard). Before cell phone cameras, so no pictures. 
 

They did look cute. 😀
 

I’ve seen other Sawsall convertibles, aka parade cars, but none looked as cute. 

Edited by Frank DuVal (see edit history)
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Steve_Mack_CT 25,000+ Points

Steve_Mack_CT

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On the Packard I like the look both ways, but honestly have not driven the car top up yet, so we will find out just how big a deal the blind quarter will be in the Spring most likely.  Style wise though, I do like that look a lot.

 

The Model A has no top to worry about yet... 😁

 

On the SL, I like look of the hardtop best, then top down, then top up.  It has been years since we have had the top up on this car though.

FB_IMG_1493431204259-1.jpg

FB_IMG_1537716637903.jpg

Edited by Steve_Mack_CT (see edit history)
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