Cars come in all shapes and sizes and this is exactly why we love them. Even if you are very fussy when it comes to choosing a car, there is plenty for everyone to choose from. In this article, we are going to take a look at a specific category of cars that always manages to amaze us. Yes, we will be taking a look at the convertible history and all the facts you must know. Convertibles have been around for a long time. In fact, the first cars were actually classified as convertibles.
However, the real convertible history begins sometime in the 1920s. Back in the day, vinyl and cloth tops were used and there were not a lot of options that you could choose from. Nearly a decade later, in the 1930s, the first flexible roofs made of fabrics were produced. Some of the first companies that offered a serial production of such cars were Buick and Cadillac. They basically began the production of modern convertibles, something that had not been seen until then. Other companies soon followed and the number of such cars grew bigger and bigger each year.
The 601 Eclipse car by Peugeot was the first car to have a power-operated retractable hardtop back in 1934. This was a major breakthrough for car manufacturers and many people were absolutely amazed by this invention. This is how convertibles became popular during this period. It is also worth noting that such cars were considered high-end vehicles and not many people could afford them. There is no complete convertible history without the period of the 1950s and 1960s. This is where they really began to catch with people and became more beautiful than ever.
Some of the best and biggest changes happened in this period, and also some of the most iconic convertibles were manufactured then. Cars such as the Rambler American and the Oldsmobile 98 were manufactured in the 1960s. Each year, the production increased by 20%. There was not much attention to safety back in the days and getting a four-seater convertible was actually something very common. As decades went by, things were slowly beginning to change and more attention was directed towards safety. The rooftops became more and more advanced, thus the price of these grew even bigger.
In the later decades, convertible vehicles could only be found as two-seaters. Yes, there were some models that had four-seater as options but the majority of them were two-seaters. Consequently, this meant that their price reached a peak and some models were sold for extremely high prices. Even to this day, the average price of a convertible is a lot higher than your typical hatchback or sedan. This is something that probably will not change even in the decades to come.
So, after reading this article you know so much more about the convertible history. There were so many events that took place and made the cars look as they are now, and this is the beauty of it!
