Thread: I feel stupid asking such a dumb question so here goes.....

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Local big show coming up in December. On application- they have special parking for "Convertibles".
Define convertible. I must be stupid- I thought I knew.
My definition- it's a car w/ a retractable soft top that remains as part of the car. Several of my buddies think different. One has a 37 Oz ford w/ a lift off hard top. He's leaving the top at home & taking it topless & says they will park it w/ the convertibles. Another has a 33 Speedstar & is also leaving the hard top at home. My car has a BopTop removeable soft top & he says I should be able to park with them. Another has a 50's ford w/ a retractable hard top & he's also parking w/ the convertibles.
IMO- none of these (except maybe the retractable hard top) are convertables.
I called the people putting on the event & they don't seem to know either.

So where do we park & most important- where do I park?

Does it make a difference if I come w/ the BopTop on the car?
I'm soooo confused.

I would say that if you take the top off, they don't have a lot of choice, but our opinions don't matter. The show organizers will decide.

That is the same reason, I tell customers that you cannot build a guaranteed 100% show winner.....the rules, or opinions are changed, every time the judges are changed.

IMHO.... if it has no top regardless of how it gets that way retractable or removeable it is a convertible.... The 56 T-Bird had both removeable hard top and a retractable cloth top behind the seat

MM64

It's either (1), a roadster - that is, no roll up windows or (2), a convertible - with roll up windows. Yours, IMHO looks to be a roadster.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ford_V8

If it had a solid front windshield, soft top and roll up windows then it would be a cabriolet (or in other terms, a convertible)

http://www.autogallery.org.ru/ford1932.htm

But then, what do I know and of course the people in charge will need a good argument from you

IC2
Never knew that about the roll up windows.....

MM64

FWIW, this is the way it was explained to me many years ago. It's a 'convertible' if the top can go Down and the side windows can go Up, making it capable of being converted from a 'closed car' to an 'open car'. If it doesn't have side windows, it's considered a 'roadster'. This was confusing to me as a young kid because the early Corvettes with tops and windows were called roadsters. But as HRP mentioned, it's up to the show organizers and judges, it's their definition that is going to count, not ours.

If you can get the top of your head sunburned, then it's a convertible, unless it has a sun roof!

I just realised that someone was going to say it so, it is called a rumbleseat roadster.

Originally Posted by Mike52

FWIW, this is the way it was explained to me many years ago. It's a 'convertible' if the top can go Down and the side windows can go Up, making it capable of being converted from a 'closed car' to an 'open car'. If it doesn't have side windows, it's considered a 'roadster'.

This is my definition too. Mine is a roadster- no side glass.
I'll try & call again Monday or send an E-mail to nail down their definition.

Lots of interesting facts here! Glad I asked the question.

IMO A convertible has roll up windows, a roadster doesn't. The exception being, a convertible is also capable of seating more than two people. A open car that can seat more than two that doesn't have rollups is a Phaeton. The early Tbirds, MGBs, Jaguar XKEs and other two seat cars with rollups were also called roadsters

Lets hope "convertible" was meant as a general term, that most people would be familiar with.

Originally Posted by HOTRODPAINT

Lets hope "convertible" was meant as a general term, that most people would be familiar with.

Leave it to me to make a mountain out of a mole hill.

So what is my Dearborn? It has roll up side windows.
Ken

Originally Posted by Ken Thurm

So what is my Dearborn? It has roll up side windows.
Ken

Would you consider it a convertible?

Only thing wrong with that car is it's parked in the wrong garage.

From an online encylopedia

A convertible is a type of automobile in which the vehicle's roof can retract and fold away, converting it from an enclosed to an open-air vehicle. Many different automobile body styles are manufactured and marketed in convertible form.

Roof designs vary widely, but a few characteristics are common to all convertibles. Roofs are affixed to the body of the vehicle and are usually not detachable. Instead the roof is hinged and folds away, either into a recess behind the rear seats or into the boot of the vehicle. The roof may be designed to operate either by hand or automatically using hydraulic or electrical actuators.

Roofs can be made out of a wide variety of materials, and are usually divided in two types: soft-tops and hard-tops. Soft-tops are made of vinyl, canvas or other textile material, while hard-tops are usually made of the same material as the car's body (usually steel or aluminium).

Convertibles are known by different terms, mainly due to convergence of various body styles and also different marketing terms used. A soft-top convertible may also be referred to as a cabriolet, although two-seater soft tops retain the name roadster, referring to their body style. Hard-tops are marketed under the terms coupé cabriolet, coupé convertible or simply retractable hardtop.