#Cabriolets
Rare Rides: The 1965 Jensen P66 That Was Never Produced
Today’s Rare Ride will mark the third Jensen featured in this series. Both our prior Jensen examples were produced by the company in 1975, but for very different customers and at very different price points. The P66 seen here is one of just two prototypes ever produced, planned to launch an all-new line at Jensen. But what happened?
Rare Rides: The 1975 Moretti 126 Minimaxi, More Than a Fiat
Today’s Rare Ride marks the second entry from small Italian car manufacturer Moretti. The first Moretti featured here was a 750 two-door sedan from the early Fifties, which was an original design to the brand.
In contrast, today’s 126 Minimaxi was made long after Moretti stopped creating its own cars.
Rare Rides: The 1992 Daihatsu Leeza Spider, It's Tearing Me Apart
Oh hi, Mark. Today’s Rare Ride is a very rare version of Daihatsu’s Leeza Kei car. It’s tiny, turbocharged, and one of only 200 made.
No more The Room jokes, I promise.
Rare Rides: The Very Special 1982 Ford Thunderbird Cabriolet
Rare Rides featured exactly one example of the legendary Thunderbird name in previous entries: A late Eighties Turbo Coupe that was basically brand new. While the Turbo Coupe has a following amongst classic car folks, today’s early ’80s Thunderbird is not held in such high regard.
In fact, I’ll go ahead and call it the worst Thunderbird ever.
Bring on the Malaise.
Rare Rides: The 1996 Heuliez Intruder Concept - a G-Wagen Derivation
Today’s Rare Ride popped up on the Internet recently, hailing from the archive of Long Forgotten Concept Cars. This particular concept happens to be a high-riding off-road cabriolet, created from a Frankenstein-like amalgam of Mercedes-Benz parts and custom fabrications by French alteration firm Heuliez.
Buckle up — it’s gonna get weird.
Rare Rides: The 1953 Fiat 1100 Allemano Cabriolet
If the Allemano name sounds familiar, it might be because we featured one of the coachbuilder’s two-door creations previously: a 1959 Abarth 2200. While that Rare Ride was a sporty and luxurious touring coupe, today’s Allemano is for a much more relaxed customer.
Presenting the 1100 Allemano cabriolet.
Rare Rides: A Ferrari 365 GTC/4 Spider From 1972
The original and well-known Ferrari 365 was a V12 grand tourer in production from 1966 to 1971. Its primary successor — the 365 GTB/4 (Daytona) also made a name for itself in short order.
Sitting in relative obscurity, however, was the Daytona’s ignored cousin, the 365 GTC/4.
Buy/Drive/Burn: Early Eighties Converted Convertibles From Japan
Think back to the Eighties, that optimistic decade when automakers hired aftermarket companies to create convertible versions of their two-door models. The big three Japanese brands each offered their own aftermarket “sports themed” convertible in the first half of the decade.
Which masterpiece is worth a Buy?
Rare Rides: The Very Yellow 1988 TVR 350i
Somehow, Rare Rides has never covered a single TVR in the past. It was just a matter of time before one of their premium motor canoes sporty, all-British roadsters graced these pages. This one happens to be a very rare and very boxy 350i from 1988.
Rare Rides: The 1994 Mercury Capri - Miata's Serious Competitor
The Rare Rides series has featured two Capri-adjacent vehicles in past: This car’s immediate predecessor, the ASC McLaren Capri, and its contemporary competitor, the Lotus Elan. Let’s find out how much better the final Capri was than either of those two (or not).
Rare Rides: A Hudson Commodore Brougham From 1950, Complete With Celebrity Ownership
Today’s Rare Ride hails from a time when American cars were glamorous — and often painted pink and bright green. It was a time when Brougham meant real luxury, and not just a vinyl roof accompanied by the faint glow of an opera lamp. Even with a tame white and brown color scheme, today’s convertible is big and bold, with the added panache of a prior celebrity owner.
Presenting the Hudson Commodore Brougham, from 1950.
Rare Rides: A Mustang-y Aston Martin V8 Volante From 1988
The Rare Rides series is fond of Aston Martin, and has previously featured a Lagonda, Virage, and a bespoke V8 shooting brake. Today we have a look at the closest the brand ever got to making a British Mustang.
It’s a V8 Volante from 1988.
Buy/Drive/Burn: Luxury Convertibles From 2010
Three luxurious convertibles of six-cylinder and rear-drive persuasion. Which one is worth over 40,000 of your hard-earned dollars?
Buy/Drive/Burn: Affordable Convertibles From 2005
This edition of Buy/Drive/Burn was inspired by the comments some of you left on the recent QOTD Crapwagon Garage post on coupes. Though roadsters and convertibles were off limits there, the conversation turned to them wistfully. Don’t worry, convertible week is coming.
In the meantime, we’ve got a ragtop from 2005 to burn. Which one will it be?
Recent Comments