Sensational '80s soft-tops | Six of the Best
Bueller? Bueller? Bueller?
Peugeot 205 1.6 CTi, 1990 (yes, we know…), 69k, £11,995
Let’s deal with two important points about this car from the off. Yes, this Peugeot 205 CTi was made in 1990, but come on, it’s an ‘80s car at heart. Besides, rules need bending when something of this calibre pops up. Also, it’s definitely a 1.6, not a 1.9 – the advert says both. Good, that's the housekeeping out of the way. Now, this could be the sweetest of all the six models here, so if ever a number plate was at odds with the car it’s attached to, it’s this one. No functioning 205 CTi is a dud. It’s also the less obvious – as in: arguably better – choice than the GTi if you're looking for a racy 205. More fun, too. Not only can you tear your way through the scenery with a cacophony of revs and tyre squeal, but you can drop the roof and feel a part of it, too. Buying this CTi would also mean that you can legitimately say your 205 was designed by Pininfarina, while of all those 205-tin-tip owners who say that are simply living a lie. All the cars on this list are appealing, but if you had to pick one for the fun factor alone – the way it drives just as much as the way it looks – then this is probably the best. It could also be one of the best CTi’s out there. Its mileage is low, but not scarily low that you wouldn’t want to add to it, and the condition appears original and right.
Vauxhall Astra 2.0i GTE Convertible, 1988, 55k, £11,995
If the 205 is a bit too obvious on the ‘80s-icon-o-scale meter for you, then how about a left-field entry in the shape of this Vauxhall Astra GTE Convertible? Bet you never expected to see one of these rarities on the list? Neither did we to be honest. They sold less than 7,000 of them new and, let's face it, it’s never been the most coveted hot hatch or convertible from the era – unlike its rivals, the 205 and Escort. That's why it's a lot rarer than any of those today. Estimates put the number of these taxed on UK roads today at a measly sub-20. So why should you stick your money into this Astra and not the 205 above? Well, that rarity factor will hit the spot for some, as will the fact that it, too, was built by a classic Torinese coach builder. This time it was Bertone, of course, as you can see with that quintessential name worn proudly on the B pillars. It has a digital dash, too, which is as ‘80s as a Duran Duran quiff, and then there’s the element that I reckon beats its rivals fair and square. The engine. That GM Family II range of four-cylinders was stronger in every respect than the wheezy CVH and bettered the XU Peugeot engines in my book as well. But rarity is still the clincher here: buy this 55,000-mile zinger and what are the chances of ever seeing another Mk2 Astra Convertible as tidy and as original? Zilch, I suspect.
BMW 320i Convertible, 1989, 42k, £19,995
Moving away from the little scamp category of the ‘80s hot hatchback, things now take a suave turn with the pin-sharp and oh-so-classical lines of the E30 convertible. For a decade known for its excess and over-exuberance, here is the epitome of understatement. It’s also prettier than a hummingbird picking nectar from a pink petunia – and that's true roof up or roof down, which isn’t a given with convertibles. There never has - and never will be - an angle from which you can stare at an E30 convertible and say, ‘hmm, they muffed that bit up’. And I'm sorry, but if you dispute that, then you are being deliberately contrary or have mud in your eyes. Or deserve to have mud put in your eyes. This car seems to be a fitting champion of the breed, with its lowly 42,000 miles, 21 service stamps and a stack of invoices pointing to a life of love rather than lived fully. And here’s another thing: has any car that's described in the advert as ‘beige’ ever looked this alluring? I think not. You could carry on searching for the holy grail, mind, the 325i, but why bother? Chances are it’ll come with a sluggish auto, and I reckon this 320i manual is a fine pairing. After all, it’ll still broadcast sexy, six-cylinder melodies for you to revel in when the roof's down, you'll just be travelling slightly slower so you can hear them better.
Mercedes-Benz SL 300, 1988, 101k, £38,995
Following on from the sophisticated stall set out by the E30, we glide gracefully into the realm of the R107. Ahh, what a machine. The car Stefanie Powers wafted about in, but this was not a convertible that required celebrity endorsement: it was a celebrity in its own right. Yes, the Pagoda that went before was prettier, but what little the R107 lacked in purity and litheness compared with its forebear, it made up for with its resolute Benzism. This car was built like the foundations of the Petronas Towers – that is: more solid and sturdy than anything else. Even the Mercedes engineers who built the thing (people, remember, who were used to carving things out of diamond boulders and sticking four wheels on them) nicknamed this car alone Der Panzerwagen. That doesn’t mean you buy one of these blind today. Of course not. Even the thick-gauge steel of a supertanker will rot eventually, and rot is, arguably, the biggest fear when buying an R107. That’s why this car looks to be a good bet. The superstructure and the fittings look fine (I am loving the depth of colour of its burr walnut, by the way), but the fact the vendor’s happy to pop it on a ramp and demonstrate the cleanliness of its bottom fills me with confidence. As does the huge list of areas attended to by the SL Shop, which includes a good waxing and a new mohair roof. The new-but-old-style Blaupunkt stereo is a nice touch, too.
Rolls-Royce Corniche Convertible, 1982, 11k, £119,995
Of all the cars on this list, I imagine this one to be the most contentious. Not because of what it is, but how it looks. If, like me, though, you relish seeing something quirky (and somewhat ironically, also the colour of a relish), then what’s not to love here? I’m going to quote the advert because, I'll wager, you’ll never hear described a colour combination as peculiar as this again: ‘we are proud to offer this lovely Rolls Royce Corniche finished in Café au Lait over Ivory with Sandalwood leather upholstery and a Fawn hood.’ Knowl Hill (that's the vendor), you had me at ‘Café au Lait,’ and you have every right to be proud of this beauty. Let's not get consumed by the uniqueness of its colour, though, because Corniches are about so much more than their hue. This, don’t forget, was the most expensive car in the world at the time. While Shadows weren't spawned by robots, each and every Corniche was full-on coach-built – in this case by Mulliner Park Ward. Surprisingly, considering their complexity and the fact they were made by a man called Reg from Willesden (rather than a machine called the REG-1000 from Japan), they’re not known for being unreliable. However, when they do spit the dummy out that dummy is fired at your bank vault with some force and is, in fact, not a dummy at all. It's an unpinned grenade. The good news is this two-owner car, while unrestored, has covered 11,000 miles and appears to have been mollycoddled like a favoured child.
Aston Martin V8 EFi Volante, 1987, 73k, £159,995
This might not be the most powerful of the V8 breed, but does that really matter? Do you really need the advantage of a Vantage’s 380hp, or an X-Pack that's packing 430hp? That's all a wee bit unseemly for a classic British drop top. This is a heavyweight Aston Martin convertible, after all. I’d suggest 310hp – but with plenty of torque – is just fine for the kind of relaxed jaunts you could enjoy with this EFi; especially hooked up to a three-speed Chrysler Torqueflite auto that says waft, not race, please. There’s another advantage to having this EFi over the more outlandish models: price. No, £160k isn’t pocket change – not unless you own a company named after a large, South American river – but in classic Aston V8 terms it’s a mere snip these days. Think double that for an X-Pack, for instance. This has rarity, too. The EFi models were short-lived – production started in 1986 and was over by 1989, when the Virage came along. Aston says it made just 216 in that time. And rather than four Weber carbs, which demand endless tuning with vacuum gauges, the Weber electronic injection here brings with it a welcome dose of consistency to the 5.3-litre V8’s running. The other thing to mention is: how proper does this example look? It’s in a befitting colour combo and, judging by the condition and the mention of some previous large bills, its beauty is more than just skin deep.
Personally I never had much love for that era of SL, it seemed a bit out of date in the 80's (it was an early 70's design) and the arrival of the stunning 129 in 89 just highlighted this. The Benz listed would belong in the 70's category. If the criteria is so relaxed I would throw the Alfa Spider into the contest as well, the 80's version being an evolution of a 60's design.
Jaguar XJ convertible
Corvette convertible
Chrysler LeBaron convertible
The E30 is lovely, nice find.
I had an Astra 1.6 Cabrio in grey when I was 18… I loved that car. Had the front end, umm, coach built with a facelift front grille after a misjudgment involving a corner and a hedge.
The BMW still looks good though, probably the one I'd go for here for wafting about.
I've always thought there is something a bid odd about the SL, the proportions at the rear or the wheelbase is too short.
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