Have you been outside yet these early mornings? The temperatures are cool, a light breeze. You can almost taste the Fall, just around the corner. It’s not too chilly yet, and the heat is certainly winding down and that makes it the perfect weather for riding around town with the top off. To that end we wanted to go over a brief list of the best hardtop convertibles ever.
The Best Hardtop Convertibles
Austin-Healey Sprite Mark I
This late 50’s era ride is one of the classics of British Roadsters. Slung low, lightweight and simple it remains a popular ride. The two-seater features a 43-horsepower engine, that kept it moving at a great clip.
The 1915-27 Ford T
This incredibly modifiable ride is the Hot Rod. Taking the hardtop off, swapping out engines for one with more kick and it is a piece of automobile art. What more is there to say in regard to this absolute classic. It’s been around for a century and defined a culture.
BMW 3 Series
It doesn’t matter the year; the BMW 3 Series delivers luxury and fun every time. With 300 horsepower in the 335i model it delivers on the zoom along with the style and class you would expect from a BMW.
JAGUAR XK120
All class, curves, and British speed perfection. With a top speed of 120 mph, well, this car saw a lot of use winning rally races. If you happen to have one of these bad boys, well consider us jealous.
Chevrolet Corvette
It’s impossible to talk about some of the best hardtop convertibles to grace the highways and not mention the ‘Vette. While a majority of the Corvette family have featured fabric drop tops, the Corvette has had hardtop coupes too. The 2001 C5 sold just under 36,000 units.
Current Faves
Regardless of your thoughts on that prior list of best hard tops, here are some killer convertibles on the market right now that.
2016 BMW Z4
Two seats, powered hardtop, and even heated seats and steering. With average cargo space in a sports car and generous interior space, the 2016 BMW Z4 is a pretty slick current convertible. Those logistics aside, you can choose from a range of engines 240-horsepower to 335 horsepower in either six-speed manual or eight automatic. Options galore, as you’d expect for its $50,000 price tag.
2017 Jeep Wrangler
Bet you didn’t expect us to list a Jeep on this list. Well a luxury ride this is not. If you’re looking to pick up one of these basic bad boys for $24k you’ll be manually operating windows, door locks, and certainly not enjoying any A/C (You sure you want the basic model?) but you will be able to drive up and over any obstacle that would block your way. If you’re looking at a Jeep, that’s what you want anyways ain’t it? But maybe splurge for some A/C, it is AZ after all.