The very notion of a family sized convertible always seemed contrived to me. Afterall, convertibles are vehicles of passion, fashion statements if you will. Combining said passion and fashion with family in one package may have seemed like genius on paper but in reality, it was akin to a sporty, high performance mini van, or classy diner. One or the other design ethos is going to over power the other. Sorry, you can't have it all.
There's something special about a convertible. Most romantic automobiles over the years have been convertibles and these 1971-1975 GM "B body" convertibles where no exception. No exception either to the rule that like most if not nearly all convertibles, the romantic notion of one far exceeding what they were like in reality.
The GM "B" body convertible isn't easy to like but it is hard not to love. For starters, it's not a very good convertible. The wind gusting up and over that huge hood and windshield creating an F5 vortex that sucks anything and everything out of the car that isn't properly lashed down. That's why most of the time when you'd see one of these the top would be up. Even with the top up, these jiggly tin cans, sans a major part of their body structure, left much to be desired. Hard top and fixed roof versions of these cars get derided too for their loose structure. So if you start with something shakey, imagine it without a roof. My driving impression of these cars has always been, "was this thing in an accident at some point?"
The added structuring and buttressing in an attempt to make up for the lack of a roof also added significant weight to the car. Weight that the little Chevrolet 350 2 barrel, making all of 145 horsepower for 1975, had to yank around. Acceleration was "deliberate". Fuel economy, never good in the lightest versions of these cars, was, not surprisingly, atrocious.
This car does handle surprisingly well given its size. Certainly not sporty but in a straight line on smooth roads the experience from here was pleasant. The brakes were excellent considering the times and rear drums as well. However, when it got twisty or when roads got full of pot and chuck holes, things got decidedly worse.
Then again, these cars were not performance cars. They were all about leisurely grand touring. Leisurely grand touring the whole family could enjoy. Really? Sorry, but I can't imagine too many families dropping the top on their family sized convertible that often. Once in a blue moon? Perhaps but families like their privacy and junior's Etch-A-Sketch becoming air borne with the top down would get old. Fast. Top up and this car is a noisey, jiggling mess would have Mom and Dad scratching their collective heads as to why they're paying a premium for the car in the first place.
GM stopped production of the B body convertible after 1975 claiming safety concerns. Not to mention weak sales. With the advent of ventilation systems and air conditioning, convertibles became all but unnecessary except to those who just had to have one. These cars made better weekend and Sunday drivers than they ever did as daily drivers. One of the reasons that prices for pristine examples, like this one, command the prices they do today. This triple white beauty sold at auction for just under $21,000. Figure considerably more for a retail transaction. Rarely loved for what they were when new, these big "family sized" convertibles have found new life today.
Drop the top, let's go. Oh, and don't forget the gas card. We'll need that.
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