Ear-ravishing convertibles | Six of the Best
We got excited and forgot to put any cheap ones in, so just imagine your numbers have come up...
Lamborghini Huracan LP 640-4 Performante Spyder, 2019, 5k, £229,995
There are several different ways your ears can be assailed by a motor car. Near silence can be just as admirable as a peace-shattering din. But here we’re getting ourselves worked up into a lather by thinking about the latter. Case in point: the Huracán LP 640-4 Performante Spyder. Any number of Lamborghinis might have plugged this gap, but PH’s abiding memory of being in the vicinity of the 640hp winged iteration of Spyder was that it might be too loud. And that was in a lay-by in the middle of nowhere. On a high street, the tweaked 5.2-litre V10 sounds positively apocalyptic. Which, let’s be honest, is exactly what you want from a Lamborghini that seems to have fallen out of an 11-year-old’s fever dream. Here’s one of several immaculate examples currently loitering in the classifieds.
Ferrari 458 Speciale Aperta, 2015, 110 miles, £775,000
If the Huracan verges on too much, the ultra-rare 458 was never enough. On the basis that it was the final resting place of the naturally aspirated, heaven-sent 4.5-litre V8, the Speciale A would have been momentous had Ferrari built thousands. But it chose to build just 499, of which only 49 were right-hand drive. Cue humongous valuations and hen's teeth reputation. But if we’re talking the creme de la creme of convertibles, the flagship 458 must be included because its engine, with its 9,000rpm redline, really must be seen (and heard and felt) to be believed. This one, UK-supplied and with just one previous owner, is valued at £775,000. It would therefore be unsettling to add to its 110 miles. But you absolutely should.
Porsche 718 Spyder RS, 2024, 135 miles, £219,990
Let no one say that we’re obsessed only with a bygone era. Sure, today’s engines (and exhausts) tend to be a bit more hemmed in by legislation, but there are still plenty of cars out there capable of playing a merry tune on your eardrums. Like the 718 Spyder RS, for example. Sure, it’s another roadster which, thanks to inbuilt scarcity, suffers from super-sized sticker prices - but there really are precious few convertibles from any era that gargle air and fuel quite as thrillingly as the run-out 718. Also, it’s still a Boxster at heart (and less aggressively sprung than the GT4) so it’s thoroughly usable on the road, too. There’s just that six-figure asking price to hurdle. Although with the 718’s termination imminent, your investment in one like this 135-mile example, is unlikely to go backwards anytime soon.
Aston Martin Vantage S V12 Roadster, 2018, 9k, £169,950
Mirroring the sentiment above, we’d originally planned to feature the latest Vantage V12 Roadster (this one specifically) but another super-sized asking price put us off. Also it would’ve meant recommending another auto box, and there really is something to be said for the inimitable sound of getting a manual downshift just right. Especially in conjunction with a preposterously large petrol engine. So how about this one-of-one spec V12 Vantage S in special order red with only 9k on the clock? Granted, there are sweeter handling convertibles available, but the selling point here is the heavenly choir under the bonnet. Also, it’s nearly £100k cheaper than its successor, and better looking to boot. Convinced?
Mercedes SLS Roadster, 2011, 18k, £129,990
No? Well, how about making an additional £40k saving to secure the singular shape that is the SLS Roadster? Sure, it’s not objectively pretty like the Vantage, nor sizzling to drive like something mid-engined would be (and even in its day the inferior seemed less than convincing) but all those misgivings will be forgotten when you fire up the sonic petrol bomb that is AMG’s dry-dumped V8. Sure, the engine, and the model generally, peaked with the monster-grade Black Series, but there’s a lot to be said for removing the SLS’s roof and taking in the soundtrack al fresco - even if you do lose the wow factor of those gull-wing doors. This one has only covered 18k in 13 years. It too deserves better.
Lotus 3-Eleven, 2017, 12k, £99,000
There’s sound you hear, and then there’s sound you feel. All of the cars above have it in them to rattle your bones a bit, but if you really want to immerse yourself in the experience, then you’ll be wanting something you can be strapped into. Everyone will have their favourite here (no end of them made in this country) but we’ve gone with the 3-Eleven thanks to its banzai 3.5-litre V6. Lotus’s last truly great car? It might well be; certainly the modern-day firm is never going back to anything like it. The way it drives is scarcely believable, but the accompanying noise is something else. And while it needs a circuit to properly do its thing, it’ll still turn any sunny day spent on a B road inside out. All you need are eyes and ears. Oh and £100k.
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