Hot Tin Roof
June 1, 2007
By 1976, America’s then big three automakers—GM,
Ford and Chrysler—had temporarily killed convertibles. Cadillac general manager
Edward C. Kennard established the cause of death as a public preference for tin
tops that would keep this new fangled air-conditioning in and rollover
fatalities down. Sermonized Kennard: "Like the running board and the rumble
seat, the convertible is an item which history has passed by."
What the Michigan car masters really bypassed was America’s
indelible affection for convertibles. Motorists saw the breezy ragtop as a piece
of transportation history, as individual and loveable a ride as a cowboy’s
horse. It was entrée to a place free from the office, mortgages and irritable
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The three-piece retractable roof can be operated
by a switch on the center console or with the key fob from up to 15 feet
away. (Click image to enlarge)
Wilting against such emotional competition—but not after some
targeting of opportunities by back-alley mechanics, who spent several years
decapitating Mustangs, Corollas and LeBarons into what became known as
convertible conversions—Detroit returned soft-tops to their place within the
American Dream in the early ’80s.
Last year, more than 320,000 convertibles were sold in the
United States, with the Ford Mustang, Chrysler Sebring, and Volkswagen Beetle
leading the topless race. Now, BMW celebrates 20 years and four generations of
an extended reign as producers of the 3-Series convertible; the industry’s first
open four-seater in the little luxury segment with sales of 275,000 units to
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The 3-Series cabriolets have always captured the soul, romance
and sensuality of the convertible, without compromising the high performance,
secure handling, trademark lines and taut mechanicals of their donor coupes. The
refreshed and refreshing 2008 328i convertible (with a 230-hp inline six) and
the companion 335i convertible (offering a mightier, 300-hp, biturbo inline six)
will dash to 60 mph in the mid-fives, with a top speed of 130 mph, or 150 mph
for models equipped with the sport package. A 6-speed automatic or manual is
available, plus what BMW calls paddle shifting—thumb buttons and short,
fingertip levers on the underside of the steering wheel. All for an estimated
starting sticker of $40,000. (Click image to enlarge)
BMW has decided to enter the trendy mainstream, leading away from a lumpy,
ribbed, canvas roof to embrace a three-panel, fully lined steel hardtop. In fair
weather, top down, you are resident in God’s great outdoors. In foul, steel helmet on, there is all the
warmth, protection and quiet of a thoroughbred luxury coupe that’s the absolute
practicality of "the ultimate driving machine."; function voidFunc() { } voidFunc();)
Sadly, but unavoidable with any convertible, retracting the top
eliminates almost half of the available luggage space. The weight of all those
motors and hydraulics required to raise and retract the roof in 22 seconds, plus
the additional load of struts and strengthening to bring stiffness up to coupe
levels, adds more than 400 pounds to the car’s curb weight. (Click image to enlarge)
In ample compensation, however, there’s the poetry of the pure
convertible. In the 3-series it is aided by a windshield shortened and angled
just enough to allow forelocks to ruffle in a comfortable breeze. At speed,
driving through an unseasonable January freeze during the Scottsdale
introduction of the car, when most of Arizona was covering its plants and
puppies against hard frost, our 335i remained almost snug. Even when fully open
to the Arizona-Sonoran chill.
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