The sun in your face, the wind in your hair, no unobstructed views as breath taking vistas zip by. What's not to like about the idea of a convertible? What's more, with the top down everyone looks great in a convertible and, bonus!, who doesn't like to be looked at enviously by strangers?
Well, perhaps being ogled by strangers isn't for everyone but aside from a (precious) few benefits, I'm sure there are at least a couple more, I, for one, am of the belief that convertibles are just not worth the hassle. Even one as wonderful as our 2009-2013 Infiniti G37 convertible. I'll live vicariously through you and yours and make you feel like a rock star for having one but convertibles are not for me.
My issues with convertibles are, no pun intended, two fold. First, the hassle. In no particular order, they have little if any trunk space when the top is down; they're more expensive to insure not to mention more expensive to buy; they have a higher risk of roof leakage in bad weather; you can get a sun burn while driving one with the top down; they're noisier inside than fixed roof cars (that's with the top up); when the top is up they have inherently less head room than fix roofed cars; their structure can be shaky and last but certainly not least, birds can and will poop on you. Sounds funny, right? Well, I'm not kidding. It happens all the time.
So, aside from all that, Mrs. Lincoln, how do you like your Infiniti G37 convertible?
Secondly, I don't think canvas roof convertibles are as good looking as their fixed roof counter parts. Hard top convertibles like our Ininiti G37 are a different story and we'll get to that in a second. For example, look at this 2016 Chevrolet Camaro convertible. You really think the lines of the canvas top do anything for this car?
Top down is a different story but heads up, potential convertible buyers, most of your time spent with a convertible will be with the top up. Side note, the sides of this car are way too high; the driver looks like he's driving a bath tub. LOL.
I ran into our glorious hard top convertible G37 in the parking lot of the hotel my family and I were staying at in West Palm during this past Christmas break. It knocked me sideways. Despite the alta cocker innuendo that such a car makes in South Florida, if ever there was a convertible I could see myself in it would be one of these. Make mine a G37S in black. Red leather.
Different from soft top convertibles with their clumsy profile ruining canvas "roof", our G here is a "hard top" convertible meaning that when the top is up, only the keenest of eyes would be able to tell that the car was actually a convertible.
Through a series of dazzlingly complicated motors and scissor mechanisms, the top of this car folds magically into a clam shell of sorts and then disappears into the trunk. You have to see one operate to believe it; it's incredible and it all happens in about thirty seconds. Going down and up. Great stuff but all the whizzing and whirring sounds very expensive to repair if, heaven forbid, something goes wrong. And you know when that happens that this sucker will stop working when it's half up (or down) in a rain storm.
While the advantages of a hard top or clam shell convertible over a canvas top are numerous, what I like best about them is their silhouette with their top up compared to their fixed roof counter parts. Because they lack a fixed center pillar, what is referred to as a "B" pillar, behind the doors and a slightly more convex or "bubble top" allowing for as much head room as possible in a car with a folding top. I love the look of a hard top convertibles with the top up. I could care less if the top ever comes down to be honest with you.
Hard top coupes and sedans, cars that looked like convertibles but actually were not drop tops, were all the rage after World War II. Sadly, hard tops went the way of dodo in the mid 1970's amid concerns over safety and crash worthiness.
Seriously, I'd get this car just because of the lack of a "B" pillar and the subtle bubble top and never drive it with the top down. It's that gorgeous. Besides, who needs the worry of whether or not the top is going to seize mid flight anyway. And don't forget about the bird poop.
Alta cocker is a Yiddish expression that translates loosely to mean "Old Shit",
No comments:
Post a Comment