RE: Open Season: Too shy to go all the way?

RE: Open Season: Too shy to go all the way?

Tuesday 7th December 2010

Open Season: Too shy to go all the way?

A random selection of 'half-way house' cabrios. Now there's no excuse...


Not that we're wimping out, you understand. Nope, the PH team remains totally committed to Open Season motoring, and if anyone says we're not we'll fight 'em! (With snowballs, obviously.)

Judging by the original Open Season thread our need to stand up (out?) and be counted is shared by many fellow PHers. But open-air winter motoring in its most elemental form is not for everyone, we admit.

You're not off the hook yet, though. Public-spirited as ever, we've wasted half an hour rooting around in the PH classifieds and unearthed a bevy of halfway-house cabrios that (to varying degrees) we wouldn't mind being seen in.

Heroic choices for open winter motoring? Perhaps not quite, but at least you'd be trying...

Jaguar XJ-SC
The XJ-S must be a car that every enthusiast worth their rock salt wonders about owning from time to time. Most coming to the conclusion it may be more trouble than it's worth, which is presumably why they often seem such great value in the classifieds.

My personal favourite has always been the XJ-SC. Not sure exactly why, although I did see it being launched at a motorshow in my youth in the '80s, so perhaps it indelibly printed itself in my mental 'wanted list' back then.

This one has a terrific colour combo of blue with biscuit leather, and what sounds like a convincing paper trail. Surely any PHer could find £4k's worth of fun behind the wheel of this?


BMW 2002
Ah, the Bauer Convertible Top. Unlike the Jag, the demi-cabrio BMWs never quite satisfied me as a youth, but looking back now a BMW 2002 thus-configured looks the business.

We're illustrating the concept with this 1973 example, which although quite well known from its magazine history - and delightful in the extreme to look at - is not entirely factory original.

It's not cheap either, but it does appear to come with a helicopter, which could make it the bargain of the century...


Reliant Scimitar GTC
We've had our eye on Scimitars for a while now - they go for peanuts on eBay, which we must admit suggests the wider population doesn't always see perfection in Ford V6-powered plastic.

Yet lest we forget, Princess Anne loved them, and so did we as kiddies - the estate version appealing greatly to that childish desire to ride facing backwards and looking out of the rear window, if nothing else.

The GTC is a harder thing to desire perhaps, but some do as proven by this apparently minty example up for £10,500.

The owner's spent a lot of money, we're told, if possibly not on his phone-cam...


Bentley Continental Sedanca
So how often do you see one of these? Not very, which is not surprising as our advertiser reckons only 73 examples were ever produced.

Not quite the thing for a wintry hoon round your local lanes perhaps, but for sporting PHers contemplating a high speed winter waft to St Moritz, this could be just the ticket.

It's even left-hand drive, but your batman will need to be fit to lift off the removable glass roof in the mornings while you're enjoying breakfast at the lodge.

In spite of the grand title 'Sedanca', this Bentley is verging into T-Top/Targa territory. But as far as PH Open Season goes, that's probably another story.


Author
Discussion

IanO

Original Poster:

104 posts

236 months

Tuesday 7th December 2010
quotequote all
Am I right in saying TVRs can be driven with the roof panel out but the rear section up? Would you include the targa roofed cars in this? 911, MR2, Ferraris, etc.

Garlick

40,601 posts

239 months

Tuesday 7th December 2010
quotequote all
IanO said:
Am I right in saying TVRs can be driven with the roof panel out but the rear section up? Would you include the targa roofed cars in this? 911, MR2, Ferraris, etc.
yes they can be, and if the rear screen is too cold to fold I run as a targa until it's warmed up a little. Useful for storage too as in targa mode you can use the rear shelf for a bag.

As it does fold away though I think it should be classed as a full cabrio.

M666 EVO

1,124 posts

161 months

Tuesday 7th December 2010
quotequote all
I had a beautiful XJS V12 a few months back, it was cheap but faultless. I kind of wish I'd kept it but don't have the room for 2 cars... I can only imagine a convertible would be sublime! Need. To. Start. Saving!

yellowbentines

5,296 posts

206 months

Tuesday 7th December 2010
quotequote all
Those Bentley Continental S/Cs are lovely big brutes.

The roof actually consists of 2 separate glass panels, quite weighty but easy to remove and there's a cushioned false floor in the boot to store them under nerd

LuS1fer

41,086 posts

244 months

Tuesday 7th December 2010
quotequote all
Don't forget the Corvette targas




And the Camaro/Firebird/Trans Ams from the 2nd to 4th gen.

GingerWizard

4,721 posts

197 months

Tuesday 7th December 2010
quotequote all
I once had a gold micra that had a sun roof, it came off in a strong gust of wind whilst winding the beast up down the motorway.... 46 Mph as i remember, never bothered fixing it and i had that car for about another 3 months.

I tried sticking my head out the window this morning and i can confirm you would need to be nuts to go sans' roof at the moment.....

SlimRick

2,258 posts

164 months

Tuesday 7th December 2010
quotequote all
What about this lovely little number?

http://pistonheads.com/sales/2308903.htm

LuS1fer

41,086 posts

244 months

Tuesday 7th December 2010
quotequote all
SlimRick said:
What about this lovely little number?

http://pistonheads.com/sales/2308903.htm
Fiat + salt = cup of ferrous oxide. I'd give it 200 metres.

TommyBuoy

1,269 posts

166 months

Tuesday 7th December 2010
quotequote all
How about thos odd Baur BMW's?

One around my way and it always makes me question why...not that it looks odd with the roof up, but I have never seen it with the roof down.

Garlick

40,601 posts

239 months

Tuesday 7th December 2010
quotequote all

Prev

384 posts

182 months

Tuesday 7th December 2010
quotequote all
Does opening all the windows, and leaving the boot open count in the open season? I feel a bit left out, taking the roof of my Mazda 3 just to fit in, might be a tad too costly for my liking.

If not then i'll have to get the old series 3 landy up and running. But that I feel, is taking it a bit too extreme. Its had the arial atom treatment (No roof, no windscreen and no doors.)

TommyBuoy

1,269 posts

166 months

Tuesday 7th December 2010
quotequote all
Garlick said:
I didn't realise they did an E36 version, only ever seen an E30.

I suppose you don't lose all off the structural rigidity, but they are a strange looking machine.

ETA: Glad I never see it with the roof down eek

Edited by TommyBuoy on Tuesday 7th December 13:37

Motown Junk

2,041 posts

216 months

Tuesday 7th December 2010
quotequote all
Erm, what Scimitar 'estate' had rearward facing seats? confused

Sure you weren't reading the Saab page of 'Interesting facts on Cars I Know Sod All About' instead?

wink

Chris-R

756 posts

186 months

Tuesday 7th December 2010
quotequote all
Motown Junk said:
Erm, what Scimitar 'estate' had rearward facing seats? confused

Sure you weren't reading the Saab page of 'Interesting facts on Cars I Know Sod All About' instead?

wink
Yes quite sure - who mentioned seats?

We always loved to sit on the floor in the back of estate cars as kids - that was the point of them wasn't it? Nobody gave the safety implications a second thought in the early 1970s. (Or maybe that was just my family...)

I owned an early '70s Saab 95 myself for a couple years in the mid-1990s. The extra seats came in handy many times on the pub run, although getting two adults in the back was a crush. It was better sitting on the floor again. smile

j_s14a

863 posts

177 months

Tuesday 7th December 2010
quotequote all
There's also the Aerotop Toyota Supra


2woody

919 posts

209 months

Tuesday 7th December 2010
quotequote all
these were pretty much all done because the manufacturer wanted a convertible, but the bodyshell rigidity wouldn't allow it without some, er, interesting handling effects. Certainly two out of the three in the article pre-dated a "full" convertible, whilst the Scimitar would probably just fold in the middle if you removed the bar.

j_s14a

863 posts

177 months

Tuesday 7th December 2010
quotequote all
Also, the Smarts make fun little targas, if you can live with the woeful gear change.

Motown Junk

2,041 posts

216 months

Tuesday 7th December 2010
quotequote all
Chris-R said:
Motown Junk said:
Erm, what Scimitar 'estate' had rearward facing seats? confused

Sure you weren't reading the Saab page of 'Interesting facts on Cars I Know Sod All About' instead?

wink
Yes quite sure - who mentioned seats?

We always loved to sit on the floor in the back of estate cars as kids - that was the point of them wasn't it? Nobody gave the safety implications a second thought in the early 1970s. (Or maybe that was just my family...)

I owned an early '70s Saab 95 myself for a couple years in the mid-1990s. The extra seats came in handy many times on the pub run, although getting two adults in the back was a crush. It was better sitting on the floor again. smile
Aah, I stand or rather sit (right way round) corrected

crostonian

2,427 posts

171 months

Tuesday 7th December 2010
quotequote all
Not got any pics but other ones I can think of are the Lancia Beta Spyder and the Bristol Beaufighter both with a Zagato connection I seem to remember.

Garlick

40,601 posts

239 months

Tuesday 7th December 2010
quotequote all
j_s14a said:
There's also the Aerotop Toyota Supra
As Chris says in the article, targas and the like are to follow....