Ferrari only ever built 123 drop top editions of its 365 GTB4, otherwise known as the Daytona Spyder. That wasn’t enough apparently, leading a number of coupe owners to throw copious amounts of money at coachbuilder Richard Straman who cut the roofs off of about 28 more before the Italian company made him stop.
Straman was once one of the preeminent aftermarket top droppers. Whether countering the issue of not enough or not at all, the aftermarket filled a void that automakers seemed unwilling to address. That means there have been hundreds of models over the years that have seen their original intent as closed coupes (and maybe sedans) taken to task after having left the factory. What we want to hear today is your choice for the best one there is.
Image: ruelspot
Hooniverse Asks: What was the Coolest Aftermarket Convertible?
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39 responses to “Hooniverse Asks: What was the Coolest Aftermarket Convertible?”
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How about the Straman CRX convertible? https://uploads.disquscdn.com/images/9b9d4c3632e663defd08a73efc6993658389d46c15cf9c9971a9a4f2db0d68f7.jpg
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I know the CRX came first, but it seems too close to a Shadow convertible to be really cool.
https://i.ytimg.com/vi/Dr2sQiI2jBc/maxresdefault.jpg-
I don’t know, that’s (a little bit) like saying the Daytona convertible is too much like a Mustang!
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I can only give one upvote!
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Do targa tops count? Straman again with the Berlinetta Boxer.
https://i.wheelsage.org/pictures/f/ferrari/pininfarina/512_bb_targa_by_straman/ferrari_512_bb_targa_by_straman.jpeg
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If you want to go offroading topless, and the CJ/Wrangler is just too pedestrian, there’s always the AMC Eagle Sundancer by Griffith.
https://amcsundancer.files.wordpress.com/2014/03/img_0730.jpg
It’s what the Murano CrossCabriolet wishes it were.-
I was coming in here to post this one.
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Me too.
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One of the Concord versions appeared on TTAC on Friday:
http://www.thetruthaboutcars.com/2017/06/rare-rides-amc-1981-pure-brougham-targa/
http://www.thetruthaboutcars.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/06/1981-amc-concord-sundancer-limited-1.jpg
And then I found a ratty Burt Reynolds Dinner Theater edition!:
http://topclassiccarsforsale.com/amc/290213-burt-reynolds-owned-1982-amc-sundancer-convertible-by-griffith-156-no-reserve.html
http://topclassiccarsforsale.com/uploads/photoalbum/burt-reynolds-owned-1982-amc-sundancer-convertible-by-griffith-156-no-reserve-2.jpg
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Hurst is an aftermarket company, right?
http://www.cartalk.com/sites/default/files/blogs/jim-motavalli/ebay%20hurst%20car_0.JPG -
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But on the one shown, the top folds flat much better!
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https://uploads.disquscdn.com/images/22382d8712b2e9f0429bc02ffdc6e3cbf20e49c5b51291a94ce4578035d1ffe6.jpg Feels like when they added the “C” button to KITT in the fourth season.
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Surely the torque could pretzel that thing!
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to be sure, first there must be torque before the pretzeling happens. a small feature of the shows “trick” car was the water squirter at the rear wheels in order to get the rubber spinning for those hair raising shots of KITT slewing from a standing start or bellowing around a sharp corner.
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I was responding to the original comment with the Grand National convertible. IIRC torques were nothing to sneeze at in those.
I’m sure my comment made zero sense in the context of the convertible KITT.
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http://st.motortrend.com/uploads/sites/5/2005/03/112_0505_2az-ASC_Helios-Overhead_View_Doors_Open.jpg
ASC Helios 300C conversion-
That is odd looking – I think it’s somewhere in the manual that you must not open all doors simultaneously. Even if it’s stiff enough it’s just wrong.
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What’s that to the right of it?
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I’m guessing a FAF. They were far superior to DAF.
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I think it is an AWS Shopper, a low-budget build on a Goggomobil 250 – base for older germans with old motorcycle licenses. Not very successful, only a few were made, iirc – read about it some time ago in german magazine “Oldtimer Markt”.
Only round things are the wheels, and the wings, which were original Goggomobil-items.-
You’re probably right. In a phrase never before uttered – that thing doesn’t look sturdy enough to be a FAF.
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Do aftermarket sunroofs count?
http://www.coachbuilt.com/bui/a/asc/oo1960GoldeCatalog.jpg-
Is that German for “leaks a lot”?
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What kind of car is that? A Taunus?
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It’s an artist’s interpretation based more or less on a ’57 Ford (US). This was right around the time Golde was trying to work with Ford in the US, culminating in the sunroof option for the Squarebird.
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That is beautiful.
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The Dutch royal family’s Mercedes-Benz 380 SEL extended wheelbase phaeton by Caruna. Even with the mudflaps and more-or-less stock ride height, it’s majestic as hell.
https://i.kinja-img.com/gawker-media/image/upload/s–sQ6C3Nyn–/c_scale,fl_progressive,q_80,w_800/18d3kkdsjbx06jpg.jpg-
Not sure who did this one.
https://uploads.disquscdn.com/images/05e212a15f0c2a1d37823fbc6507d2a6f0ce70cb12f93c621bc9be3d25e2cd2a.jpg
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The one and only Citroen DSM.
https://classichub.files.wordpress.com/2015/04/dsc02978.jpg
Oh, and while they were at it they swapped in a Maserati V6… -
The Hess & Eisenhardt Continental Mk II was sponsored by Ford but was converted “after having left the factory” so I’m counting it. Besides, it is stunning.
https://uploads.disquscdn.com/images/3e5de6e62e0226eb79cab7c505c738952bbc78c7c6ee51e3d5434f3fe90099e5.jpg -
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That is…pretty nice.
You’re aware of this one?:
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