Kamis, 22 Juni 2017

Convertible Cars

Convertible cars are cars without an attached roof, or a roof that can be retracted. Many people enjoy convertible cars, sometimes called just convertibles, because they give all the luxury of driving a fast car while exposing yourself to the wind and the sun. Convertibles are usually driven in the summer when the weather’s nice and when you can really enjoy the extra sunlight. Let’s take a look at the components of a convertible and a few different models that have come out through history.

Types of Roof

There are many different roof designs for convertibles, but there are generally two distinct types that all of the others are based off of. Some roofs can be detached completely and are generally made of cloth. Some people like the ability to completely remove the roof so that it can be stored away and not add extra weight to the car. The other type of roof commonly seen is the retractable roof. Retractable roofs can either be hard top or soft top in make and they can be retracted into the body. They’re attached to hinges behind the back of the seats and a small compartment opens in the trunk area as the roof is retracted. Some people dislike retractable roofs because they detract from trunk space in some cars, which makes the convertible an impractical vehicle for everyday situations.

Brief History

Convertibles were among some of the first automobiles ever produced. The flexibility of being able to go from an open top to a closed top in a few seconds was appealing to many people, so the car industry manufactured only convertibles for quite some time. The first ever closed roof vehicle was introduced by Cadillac in 1910. Popularity of the convertible continued through until the 1970’s when safety concerns caused the industry to shift directions. Then, a decade later, they picked up in popularity again and people began buying them again. It was during the 1980’s that the hardtop convertible roof was introduced to help ease fears of the safety concerns.

Popular Convertibles

Mitsubishi introduced a car in 1995 that became very popular in the convertible market in the United States. The car was called the 3000GT Spyder. It was a two door convertible that flooded the sports car market. It became as popular as it did because of its styling and power.

Following the Mitsubishi, Mercedes released a convertible to compete with the Spyder. The Mercedes Benz SLK was the sleek answer to the Spyder’s popular curves. The SLK would go on to be one of the most popular convertibles in history. It was one of the first cars to feature a retractable hard top, which set it apart from many of the other vehicles on the market. Retractable hard tops were the new “thing” and Mercedes made a name for themselves marketing just that.
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1 komentar:

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