Is there a "cool" convertible?

[NVP]

If we exclude the expensive supercars / classic masterpieces, and go for the everyday... is there actually a convertible that wouldn't leave you with even the slightest embarrassment when you get out?

I can't see my myself in anything really - either too small, or feminine, or ugly, or fat... nothing gangster, just mediocre "meh".

I mean the only one that isn't any of the above is the performance mustang but still... I wouldn't like one unless I was in california, but I'd probably get a vette.

 

[NVP]

The 911 turbo s cabriolet does smash the brief, but it's over £160k... not exactly your everyday.

 

[NVP]

The carrera is too fat, bit girly.

 

[NVP]

I wanted a "daily" convertible and ended up with the F33 440i.

Most of the time it looks like a coupe.

Yeh the thing with the bigger bmw convertibles is they lose the low down roadster style position but don't really get the big, wide power image either... Great cars for a daily being a bmw but meh when it comes to appeal.

 

[NVP]

Yeh convertibles are very cringy and very 80s, people from poor backgrounds trying to look posh and elite.

Perhaps, but for me it's about being connected to the drive... it isn't all about the car, how much more connecting and enjoyable is simply driving with the window down?

 

[NVP]

S2000s still look great to me

Yeh they do to a degree, the problem is unless they're 50 million horse power with some killer kit on they're a bit too toy like if that makes sense. Although in the gunmetal paint they do look decent stock...

 

[NVP]

Bentley Continental GTC

Good shout! The newer ones much more so than the older shape, but then that takes the price too high for an "everyday".

Boot space?
Cabin space?
Seating space?
Cool factor?
Timeless inside/out?
Driving enjoyment?
Everyday usability?

There's only one answer...

Unfortunately you can't own an old M3 any more when Ali in his new Type-R is not only going faster than you around the B-roads, but also having more fun...

Get a TVR, it'll put hairs on your chest

Hahaha If we are going classic then there are plenty of better choices

E89 Z4. /thread

Yes I agree... for my dad

The real issue is that true performance cars are never convertibles. The convertible version of any supercar is always overshadowed by the coupe version.

The true convertible is a wafty, comfortable car, for posers who want to enjoy the south of France weather. (Rolls Royce Corniche, etc.)

An open top sports car is perhaps different, for example the Catherham 7, Aerial Atom, etc which have been designed from the ground up not to have a roof and to go round a track full pelt.

True, they're fat and ugly or just average - there are no really enticing models until you get to the silly money.

Whilst this is all true, in the real world we aren't driving at 10 tenths, looking to eek the absolute performance out of every bend.

Speak for yourself

I’ve never owned a car with a roof. I’m such a beta male.

.
Depends on how old you are I guess.

Now I'm in my 40s I largely don't give a damn about people judging me on silly things like how feminine they think my car is.

Buy an old MX5, drive it like you stole it and get out with a grin on your face and your middle finger up at anyone who looks down on you!

I'm a proper beta male obviously and have little care about opinions..

Why would you 'feel embarassment' getting out of any car. The most beta move possible is giving a **** what other people think of you. Oh no, people in this car park (who almost certainly are thinking about something that has no relation to me or my car) may not feel positively about my motoring choice.

I love mine, gave up caring what people say in here ages ago

As it's a nice sunny day and I have to drive half way across the country I shall put the roof down and 'embarrass' myself.

What are we, 12 years old? "Ooooh, is my car cool? Will people like me? Give me your adoration, please please please!"

Convertibles are ace. Get the roof down and stop worrying what internet dickheads think about you.

Now I don't really understand all these comments - it appears I may have touched a nerve by my choice of language, however I'm not talking about alpha male macho nonsense, I'm talking about an appealing "oh man i'd love one of those" type of sports cabriolets which tick all boxes rather than having something-something not quite right.

In terms of the feminine comment, if that is what has caused the "beta male backlash" - if I gave you the choice of a fiat 500 and a fiat 500 abarth which would you choose? Now sit back down.

Lolwut?

Disagree?

Quite like these (Alfa Romeo Spider):
https://www.autotrader.co.uk/car-details/202010245395303

Op needs one of these though if a convertible mustang is cool:
https://www.autotrader.co.uk/car-details/202007281769077

lol park that alpha next to this and then say that again...



However I didn't say the mustang was cool, if you actually read the OP correctly

Good thread OP. I'm in the early stages of doing some man maths/convincing the wife as to see what I might be able to get away with as weekend toy. Convertibles are tempting me but it's got to feel special and a real event. I'm struggling to find something that excites me that won't be ruinous to keep on the road.

Yes definitely. Lot's of people focusing on my use of the word "embarrassing" in the OP but the title is more accurate in terms of the opinion - they appear to be a rare breed.

Given i've only recently become aware of their existence i'll say this. Look there's even a man driving it in the advert

https://www.volkswagen.co.uk/new/t-roc-cabriolet.html?---={"new_t-roc-cabriolet_sectiongroup_3822338_featureappsection":"/+/0"}

hahaha what?!

 

[NVP]

Love my S2000!

As a fun weekend car, roof down it is a huge amount of fun, as a daily not so much fun as others have said they are tiny inside and roof up dilutes the experience massively.

Engine sound with air box lid off sounds fantastic.
The gear change is easily one of the best manuals ever if not the best.
Handling once aligned and all fresh is great, more progressive on later cars.
Engine is marmite you either hate or love it.

Yes they are a raw drivers car no doubt, I wanted one in my youth but as age has taken me they are less attractive... perhaps I've gotten used to German interiors

Knew this was coming
A new CTR is 320HP and 5.8 to 60. That's not faster than even a stock old M3! Fun however is a personal feature

Haha figures are one thing but the new Type-R is quite a bit faster around b-roads than the E46 M3 convertible

What are they 0-100?

Anyway having owned M3 CSL and regular E46 M3 and also having driven every generation of Civic and owned one, I'd take the M3 every time, only downside on M3's is running cost are vastly higher than that of a Honda.

Hands down.

Your dad must be a pretty cool youngster!

E89 Z4, in my personal opinion, is one of the best designed convertibles, ever. It looks good with the roof up and sublime with it down. It’s also relatively comfortable in normal mode, and very responsive in sport mode and above. Bonus points that it can be had with a straight six engine. It also has enough boot space for a large bag, so can easily go away for a week.

Hahaha

Yes I would have to agree, I was urging my dad to get one when they first came out, manual straight six open top roadster... by BMW(!) When I hit 40 maybe...

I think I see one of the bones of contention here.

Some people think the looks of a car equate to coolness, others think a car is cool if you wish you could drive it.

I see a Mustang and just think 'Why?'

One of the coolest cars I've seen, on my scale, was a tatty Puma Racing with an engine transplant, roll cage and stripped out,

That guy would be the one i wanted to be friends with rather than the Hoorah Henry who turned up in an AMG merc on finance!

Regarding my OP it could be described as "personal coolness" perhaps, whichever weighs up most to ones own reasons.

I should not have really mentioned the mustang, it was simply an appropriate example for that paragraph, I'm not a mustang fan personally.

The custom car is always appealing, stock wise there's not much out there which warrants "want".

I don't think your wording helped but I think it's more about the appreciation, feeling of driving something special that is an event, even better if it's exotic or rare. I love the fact my C63 6.2 is understated for day to day driving. Doesn't get too much attention from Barry Boys in their Golf Rs but still a nod of approval every now and again. At the end of the day who cares about what anyone else is driving, should be about what you get out of it. That can be achieved in an MX-5 as well as a supercar.

Yes definitely, convertibles have to be a real drivers car to pull me in, not simply chopped. It is the main attraction of a convertible for myself.

My humour filter must be malfunctioning. We also own a fiat 500 (non-Abarth). There’s no hope for us.

Haha what are the chances

Does nobody else like the MK1 Golf Clippers?

Did the 16v Mk2 gti come open top?

My Saab93 aero is super cool, and god damn during these increasingly hot summers, it's a god send.

Yes, super cool...

(tbf I learnt to drive in my dads 95 aero so I have a special love for the 95 - 93 however...)

In answer to the OP, yes there are plenty, imo (have to say that, obvs ), I've owned a few so can give a wee bit of feedback on them at least

E46 M3, a car very worthy of its appreciating value, just don't bother with the hard-top or expect wet dreams from the exhaust note
S4, epic engine, amazing stereo, just lack lusture externals oh and woeful brakes
RS4, now you're talking, addresses all of the issues above the only problem is you need to be tied to a petrol pump
S2000, timeless looks, effortless to put the roof down and if you can be arsed with it, a unique engine
E85 Z4 (3.0si) decent enough attempt at a middle of the road, roadster. Drop the runflats to improve cabin noise a bit, but as a marque to drive up and down motorways, no ta
E89 Z4 (35is) pukka, what a brilliant little car. Little, is the only issue, you can't do anything with it with the roof down, probably sneak in a jacket or two, but that aside you have to try one!
M4 the grown up of the z4(m), decent boot space, with endless specification choices, allows you to change a capable car into a weapon (MPE, CCBs to name but two must haves) I had a whale of a time in mine today, north of 550hp (ok that's with aftermarket stuff) and very nimble, sure it's not the coupe in terms of weight, but when you can put the roof down who cares about the difference

Roof down motoring, I'll always have an option in my garage, infact if this virus could kindly do one I'm waiting for an M8 convertible on an extended test.

The E46 M3 is legendary, however the convertible not so much - every time I've driven one I've always found myself thinking "oh, yeh it's no coupe", however if that were something I could get past then being a BMW fan boy I think I would... no, it'd be a manual E89.
The M4 is a great car don't get me wrong but, as with most chopped performance cars, it's weighty in either guise and it's wide whilst not being low so you need all that power to stop it feeling like a small saloon... loads of fun when you have the road though
M8 you say? You best post up all about it!! #welljel

 

[NVP]

http://www.autotrader.co.uk/car-details/202011025686778


Ok, now this is sexy (apart from the colour), on the pricey end though:
http://www.autotrader.co.uk/car-details/202008021984623

 

[NVP]

I'm getting too old to care what people think is 'cool' or what people think about me. Buy whatever you enjoy. I have great fun in my SLK55 - its quick (generally more so than people expect), loud with the flaps open and comfortable on my commute. Is it cool, probably not to many, although the kids all love it. Do I care, not in the slightest. What will I buy next? No idea. SL63, TTRS, F-Type, Boxter GTS, R8? Are any of those cool, probably not. Still don't care. Interestingly its usually the old 'motor enthusiasts' who think these cars aren't cool. No one cares what they think either

Go for a crossfire next

 

[NVP]

Lets face it, there aren't any real universally 'cool' convertibles

...http://www.autotrader.co.uk/car-details/202009173857921

 

[NVP]

Passed a blondie driving a white c63 convertible tonight... yummm

 

[NVP]

The combination