#Cabriolet

Mercedes is launching a convertible version of the Mercedes-AMG CLE53, showcasing the manufacturer’s commitment to convertible models.

If you’re hoping to purchase a drop-top vehicle from a manufacturer that doesn’t specialize in six-figure automobiles, this probably isn’t the best period in history to be shopping. However, you do have a few options via off-road focused SUVs and some mainstream sports cars. Still, the only companies that seem to have retained any real focus on convertibles are the European luxury brands — with Mercedes-Benz and BMW arguably leading on that front.

Today’s Cadillac is an example of what happens when you combine consumer tastes in places like Miami in the late Eighties with the refusal of some domestic manufacturers to make luxury convertibles.

Presenting a Cadillac coupe that’s custom, cabriolet, and cool DeVille.

We’ve got some shocking news for convertible fans. The Audi A3 Cabriolet is still on sale in North America.

Did you forget that it existed? We sure did. Fortunately, this isn’t a problem we’ll have going into 2020, as this is to be the model’s last year. Of course, this changes next to nothing as we haven’t seen one in the wild some time. In fact, it’s difficult to recall the last occasion any automotive outlet even bothered reviewing one.

As the spiritual successor to VW’s now-defunct cabriolets, the open-air A3 occupies an interesting place in the market. It’s a little pricey for most parents looking to treat their college-aged daughters, with a starting MSRP of $39,000, and lacks the oomph and prestige of Audi’s other drop-top offerings.

A two-seat roadster produced by a short-lived Michigan company, the Kaiser Darrin was a case of grand aspiration meeting with minimal success.

Yesterday, we saw a junked Jensen Interceptor that I photographed during a trip to Los Angeles. Today, I’ll follow that up with another rare import from the same yard: a Maserati Biturbo Spyder! This is only the second Biturbo in this series, after this ’84.

Strangely, this disclaimer isn’t even the funniest thing about the fresh-to-Youtube E-Class Cabriolet ad [available after the jump]. That prize goes to the way the otherwise undeniably handsome E-Cab looks with its “Aircap” system deployed. No wonder this previous ad stuck to long shots, and made light of the option’s contradictory and dispensable nature. Sure, folks in cold climates deserve convertibles too, but this Aircap thing just reminds me of cafe seating on Sunset Boulevard with heat lamps blaring on a 65-degree day. Silly wealthy folk… buy the coupe if you don’t like drafts.