13 Convertible Beauties Everyone Knows and Loves
Cars with a fold-down or removable roof are convertibles or drop-tops. Both terms can be correctly used interchangeably to describe a car with a roof you could fold down or remove. Likewise, a soft-top refers to a type of drop-top or convertible where the removable roof is a flexible, foldable material that folds into the car’s body.
The foldable material could be fabric or vinyl and can be manually operated or automatic. Not all drop-tops have this feature.
Then you have what is known as Targa Top, which refers to a semi-drop-top design with a removable central roof panel. The main difference between Targa tops and convertibles is that the former retains a fixed roll bar running across the car’s width behind the top of the windshield or over the B-pillars. The Nissan 300ZX T-top and Porsche 911 Targa are examples of targa-top cars.
No matter the configuration– drop-top, soft-top, or targa-top– they all have one thing in common, which is the joy of an open-air driving experience. Often associated with luxury, style, and performance, it’s our pleasure to reintroduce these 13 convertible beauties molded by gods of the sun to deliver memorable wind-in-my-hair moments every time.
Ferrari 488 Spider
Apparently, the Ferrari 488 Spider offers so much more than its potent V8 and exceptional handling. It wouldn’t be the first time Ferrari nailed a seductive combo of performance and Italian design, but the 488 Spider has a few standing it out. It exudes a predatory but not so pronounced aura thanks to the elongated hood, short overhangs, and wide stance.
Due to the mid-engine layout, the car boasts great balance, with the cabin pushed forward and the rear haunches flaring out. More so, the 488 Spider benefited from Ferrari’s “Avorio” color scheme, ultimately giving the car an unusual allure that grows on you.
Avorio (Ivory) is a historical Ferrari paint harking back to the 1950s and ‘60s Ferrari convertibles. Once the Spider’s top is down, the Avorio lets loose the interior’s contrasting red-leather seats, belts, and trim in the cockpit.
No giant infotainment touchscreen display is here to distract the driver; just a tachometer and a multi-function display with a manettino dial to choose your preferred driving mode. I better stop talking and move on to the next one.
Porsche 911 Cabriolet
The cabriolet adds a unique flair to the quintessential sports car. The latest 992 generation adds a subtle grace to the 911’s timeless silhouette- a subtle grace that emphasizes the luxurious appeal of the iconic elongated hood, curvaceous fenders, and round headlights– without compromising the Porsche 911’s sporty heritage.
The 911’s hips are wider and draw attention to the rear engine cover with eighteen slats, divided by vertical CHMSL lights—nine on each side. If you can be patient enough to read the slats from left to right, yours to be discovered is a beautiful brake-lit eleven—911.
Aston Martin DBS Superleggera Volante
Admittedly, the DBS Superleggera’s outdated Mercedes-Benz COMAND infotainment system starkly contrasts the otherwise symphony of design and performance that the Superleggera grand tourer represents.
However, the model’s usual clientele is not hung up on the in-car gizmos, especially with the drop-top Volante, where the screen is almost useless to the driver with the top down and the interior exposed to sunlight. The car’s allure comes from its intoxicating performance and exquisite style.
The Volante convertible is as powerful as the coupe (sharing engine and transmission) but offers an eight-layer soft-top body style with eight color options. It is the first in the British marque’s history to feature a carbon fiber windshield surround and rear tonneau.
The car showcases numerous sexy details, including the “Superleggera” script on the hood in untreated carbon fiber and the graceful air vents extending off the front wheel arches.
Lamborghini Huracán EVO Spyder
The EVO Spyder is no less a feast for the eyes than the Huracán hardtop variant, from the front aerodynamic details to the front hood inlets to the air intake on each side skirt to the exhausts. This model focuses on extreme open-top driving thrill using a potpourri of colors, smells, and sounds thoughtfully choreographed to enchant the driver through wild or scenic routes.
Unlike the DBS Superleggera that seemed to wave off in-car technology as unimportant, the Huracán boasts an 8.4-inch infotainment touchscreen as a highlight of the interior covered in high-quality materials like Alcantara and Lambo’s proprietary Carbon Skin® material.
McLaren 720S Spider
The Spider’s retractable hardtop configuration further perfects the McLaren 720S’ teardrop shape. The car’s design flaunts high levels of precision that seep deep into every millimeter of its aerodynamic body. However, the 720S’ beauty is bone deep.
It is the first (perhaps, still only) drop-top with a shell made entirely of carbon fiber– the Monocage II-S. The interior showcases a minimalist yet luxurious cockpit as if intent on shifting attention away from the dash to what matters– the 720-hp 4.0-liter V8 engine with twin-scroll turbochargers catapulting the car to 60 mph in 2.8 seconds.
Bentley Continental GT Convertible
The Bentley Continental GT is like the snow leopard in a jungle where wild bulls and wolverines like the Huracán and 720S mark their territories with aggressive lines and sculpted contours. Like the snow leopard moving with a quiet, graceful demeanor that bellies its incredible strength and agility, the Bentley Continental GT’s effortless lines and smooth curves are as easy on the eyes as its graceful flow through the convertible’s body.
The interior welcomes passengers to a cabin painstakingly revised to deliver a whisper-quiet sanctuary rivaling the coupe. This is even more impressive considering the twin-turbocharged 6.0-liter W-12 engine under the hood, belching out 650 horsepower and 664 lb-ft of torque.
Mercedes-AMG GT Roadster
A large part of the GT Roadster’s beauty is its impressive array of performance-oriented features inside and out, from the low seating position that serves as a constant reminder of the AMG GT’s raison d’etat to the bucket seats to the finely tuned chassis responsible for the direct steering, low center of gravity, and minimal body roll.
Ultimately, the Mercedes-AMG GT Roadster showcases a masterful marriage of elegance and performance through a symphony of curves and lines. You could marvel all day at the bold convex Panamericana grille, 19-inch AMG five-spoke alloy wheels, tapered rear end, and rounded quad-exit tailpipes.
BMW M8 Convertible
The M8 Convertible’s powerful stance is the first in line for your attention, emboldened by flared arches, 20-inch alloy wheels, aggressive front and rear bumpers, and a bulging hood that subtly hints at the beastly 4.4-liter V8 engine beneath. The cabin flaunts stitched-up, two-tone Merino leather seats, carbon-fiber accents, and ambient lighting.
The M8 Convertible has a unique way of transporting you to reveries of open-air, purposeless trips through California’s coastline or the Appalachian Mountains of North Carolina. It comes with the assurance of 617 horsepower and the promise of an occasional rush of adrenalin from zipping to 60 mph in 3.1 seconds.
Audi R8 Spyder
Like the R8 Coupe, the Spyder projects a harmonious blend of aesthetics and performance, a combination you’d permit me to call “screaming beauty.” The Spyder’s unique nose makes the first impression. The 2020 model came with new wheels decorated in a complex angular pattern.
It wears a metallic windshield surround, spinelike air extractors over the engine, and aggressive front-end graphics to recreate the styling elements of the original. With the high-revving V10 engine under the hood, the Audi R8 convertible is a beautiful beast, especially when dressed in white with a black soft-top that drops to reveal red leather performance seats.
Jaguar F-Type Convertible
You’ll agree that the Jaguar F-TYPE Convertible looks most ravishing in Firenze Red– a specific shade of red associated with the Jaguar Land Rover brand and distinct with a deep, rich hue with a hint of metallic shimmer. This color evokes the spirit of the Italian city of Florence, from which it got its “Firenze” name.
Wearing this color, it’s almost impossible to look away from the F-TYPE, parked or in motion. The cockpit leverages a thoughtful mix of materials to tantalize the senses, including chrome trims and faux-suede accents.
Chevrolet Corvette Stingray Convertible
Like the F-TYPE, you could never get tired of looking at the Stingray in Torch Red, especially with the gloss black forged aluminum wheels imbuing the overall profile with a menacing aura. The only result you can expect from a bouquet of chiseled lines, wide haunches, and a low-slung stance is the aggressive elegance that defines the Corvette Stingray Convertible’s design.
The tapered rear end hints at speed and agility, while the iconic elongated hood continues the tradition of housing potent engines (though in mid-engine configuration)– a 6.2-liter, 490-horsepower V8 behind the passenger cabin. This layout promotes the new Stingray’s exotic mien as much as it optimizes the car’s weight distribution and handling balance.
Perhaps, the most beautiful thing about the Corvette Stingray is that it is a $70,000 mid-engine marvel in a world of quarter-million-dollar supercars.
Maserati GranCabrio
The GranCabrio’s classic Maserati proportions beckon you to live life to the fullest, making little difference whether the top is up or down. The cockpit marries artisanal elements so spectacularly that you’d be torn between exposing it to the world outside and hugging the experience all to yourself.
The cabin is treated in Sky Cool Gray Nappa leather, suede microfiber, and meticulous stitching to create an intimate space for your adventures. We invite you to take a moment, close your eyes, and imagine the GranCabrio Folgore in Maserati’s Liquid Rose Gold color, with the Titan Grey soft top that comes down to reveal Denim and Ice interiors with contrasting stitching.
Lexus LC 500 Convertible
The convertible variant of the Lexus LC 500 luxury coupe offers enthusiasts the freedom to experience the V8’s symphony with the wind and the sun. Lexus outdid itself with this one, as the LC 500 Convertible can easily be the most beautiful car on the road at any time.
People with an eye for such things can observe from the car’s overall form that it will age as gracefully as it looks at the moment, thanks to styling cues like the classic long hood stretching from the windshield, lengthy wheelbase, short deck, elegantly long doors, infinity-lens (3D-like) tail lamps, and Triple projector LED headlights.
