After much anticipation, earlier this year BMW introduced to the United States its 128 series. It’s the German manufacturer’s reasonably priced coupe and convertible, and it couldn’t have been introduced at a better time. From my weekly drive with the 128i convertible and its 3.0-liter, 230-horsepower inline six-cylinder engine, the car is an unqualified success.
With no responsibilities on a recent sun-drenched Saturday afternoon, the candy-apple red sports car seemingly recognized my surprising block of free time and was beckoning for some action.
Given my week with this vintage version of this 1960s dream car was coming to an end, I decided it would be a shame not to enjoy a carefree drive in the 2008 Ford Mustang Convertible.
Needing a little "bling" in its lineup, Saturn finally convinced parent company General Motors a sports car could elicit positive results.
Although the Sky convertible wasn’t exactly unique when it came out a year ago, it provided Saturn with definite eye appeal.
This is the ultimate cute car, which is why there aren’t many men tooling around in a Volkswagen Beetle convertible.
Six years after its return to United States distribution, the Mini Cooper is no longer a novelty retro. Yet until the Smart, the Daimler-Chrysler mini-car, arrives next year, the Mini-Cooper is still the shortest car available in the United States.
The Saturn Sky was introduced as the manufacturer's first "high-performance"
convertible sports car as a 2007 model although it was first available
in the spring of 2006.
Driving a nicely performing convertible with the top down on a sun-baked day is about as good as it gets. But the varying functionality and quality of convertible tops can easily diminish the experience.
The attractive Volvo C70 (2006) can hang with any of the premium convertible coupes on the market. It's one cool vehicle and possesses all the typical safety features one expects from this safety-conscious Swedish manufacturer.
Hardtop convertibles have been around periodically in the United States for about 50 years. And from the early years of Ford Fairliner to the current offerings of several manufacturers, the same question always arises: How mechanically sound is the retracting hardtop mechanism?
Just inside the main entrance to Pebble Beach, Calif., the road makes a sweeping, downhill, left-hand turn. It's the beginning of a 3 1/2-mile stretch along the 17-Mile Drive and it's an ideal place to test drive a car.