2003 Mercedes-Benz SL 500

A Retractable Hardtop (also known as a coupé convertible and coupé cabriolet) refers to a car with a movable roof for a convertible that is made of plastic, metal or glass. This results in a car with the flexibility of an optional roof yet the rigid roof of a coupé. In some markets such as the United Kingdom, where there is a high risk of car theft, the added security of a rigid folding roof over a soft-top is a major selling point. Download high resolution version (3072x2048, 1786 KB)Mercedes-Benz 2003 SL 500 File history Legend: (cur) = this is the current file, (del) = delete this old version, (rev) = revert to this old version. ... Download high resolution version (3072x2048, 1786 KB)Mercedes-Benz 2003 SL 500 File history Legend: (cur) = this is the current file, (del) = delete this old version, (rev) = revert to this old version. ... A hardtop is a term for a rigid, rather than canvas, automobile roof. ... The Peugeot 406 Coupé, designed by Pininfarina 1990 Mercedes-Benz 560SEC coupé, noted for its large, angular design 1997 Rover Vitesse Coupe, club coupé Rover P5 Coupe, a traditional four-door coupé Mercedes CLS, a modern four-door coupé Gala-Coupé of Leopold II, Brussels 1970s Sunbeam Alpine fastback coup... This article or section does not cite its references or sources. ... The roofs of Olomouc, Czech Republic. ... Saab 900 Convertible 1962 Rambler American 1981 AMC Eagle 4-WD convertible Convertible can also refer to a convertible security A convertible (sometimes called cabriolet in British English) is a car body style with a folding or retracting roof (aka soft top or top in USA, hood in UK). ... For other uses, see Plastic (disambiguation). ... This article is about metallic materials. ... This article is about the material. ...

History

Peugeot before World War II and the Ford Motor Company in the 1950s with the Ford Skyliner had tried to make cars with roofs made out of glass, giving the car a sunroof when the top is up. The car also was one of the first with a fully automatic retractable roof. The car was sold for 3 years in the United States. However, unreliability and expense doomed those earlier efforts. In America, the next car to follow suit with an automatic hardtop was the Mitsubishi 3000GT Spyder in 1995 and 1996. However, similar to the Ford Fairlane 500 Skyliner, the 3000GT did not prove to be a high volume seller. Next in line was the 1998 Mercedes-Benz SLK 230 (R170). This car is admittedly the first successful hardtop convertible in the United States. This car's chassis lasted until the 2005 version (R171) was released. This approach, despite its obvious mechanical costs, is considered much more convenient in day-to-day use than the more traditional removable hardtop used by some convertibles to replace the textile roof during rainy or winter months. The 2005 Ferrari 575M Superamerica featured an innovative electrochromic glass panel roof, which rotated 180° at the rear to lay flat over the boot (both are production car firsts). In 2006, the first four-door coupe convertible, the Peugeot 407 Macarena concept car is presented. Peugeot is a major French car brand, part of PSA Peugeot Citroën. ... Combatants Allied powers: China France Great Britain Soviet Union United States and others Axis powers: Germany Italy Japan and others Commanders Chiang Kai-shek Charles de Gaulle Winston Churchill Joseph Stalin Franklin Roosevelt Adolf Hitler Benito Mussolini Hideki Tōjō Casualties Military dead: 17,000,000 Civilian dead: 33,000... “Ford” redirects here. ... The 1950s decade refers to the years 1950 to 1959 inclusive. ... The Ford Skyliner was an innovative full-size automobile with a retracting hardtop produced by the Ford Motor Company in the late 1950s. ... The Ferrari 575M Maranello is a two-seat, two-door, grand tourer sports car built by Ferrari. ... Electrochromic refers to materials characterised by colour change when voltage is applied. ... The Peugeot 407 is a large family car produced by the French manufacturer Peugeot since 2004. ... 1938 Buick Y-Job, the first Concept car A concept car or show car is a car prototype made to showcase a concept, new styling, technology and more. ...

In the first years of the 2000s, car makers started building articulated retractable rigid roofs allowing the automobiles using this configuration to go seamlessly from convertible to coupé and back. Usually, the roof is made of two or three metal parts that fold and store themselves in the trunk when in convertible position. More recently, cars have started to appear where all parts of the roof are transparent, using the original idea. This article is about the first decade of the 21st century. ...

List of cars with retractable hardtops

Cars with a retractable hardtop:

Early Models

• Peugeot 401/601 Eclipse (1935)

The Fiat X1/9 is a two-seater mid-engined sports car designed by Bertone and built by Fiat. ... The Ford Skyliner was an innovative full-size automobile with a retracting hardtop produced by the Ford Motor Company in the late 1950s. ...

Later Models

The BMW E90 automobile platform is the fifth generation of the BMW 3 Series range of entry-level luxury/compact executive cars. ... XLR shown with the top up The XLR is a luxury roadster sold by the Cadillac division of General Motors and is assembled in Bowling Green, Kentucky. ... The Chevrolet SSR (the SSR standing for Super Sport Roadster) was a convertible pickup truck produced from the Chevrolet division of American automaker General Motors from 2003 through 2006. ... The Chrysler Sebring convertible is a mid-size convertible manufactured by DaimlerChrysler, as a replacement for the Chrysler LeBaron. ... The Daihatsu Copen is a 2-door roadster with an aluminium retractable hardtop built by the Japanese car company Daihatsu. ... The Ferrari 575M Maranello is a two-seat, two-door, grand tourer sports car built by Ferrari. ... Ford Focus is the name of a series of compact/small family cars made by the Ford Motor Company and sold in most Ford markets worldwide. ... The Lexus SC series is a personal luxury coupé sold by Lexus, the luxury division of Toyota. ... It has been suggested that this article or section be merged into Lexus SC. (Discuss) 2nd Generation Toyota Soarer 3rd Generation Toyota Soarer The Toyota Soarer was a personal luxury coupé sold by Toyota in Japan from 1981 to 2005. ... The Mazda MX-5, also known as Miata (IPA: /miαrə/ or /miαtə/) in North America and Roadster (IPA: /ɺ̠odosɯta/) in Japan, is a sports car built by Mazda in Hiroshima, Japan, since 1989. ... The Mercedes-Benz SLK-Class is a luxury roadster built by the German manufacturer Mercedes-Benz since 1997. ... The Mercedes-Benz SL-Class is a series of luxury automobiles. ... It has been suggested that this article or section be merged with Mitsubishi GTO. (Discuss) To meet Wikipedias quality standards, this article or section may require cleanup. ... The Mitsubishi Colt is a supermini built by Mitsubishi Motors at their NedCar plant in the Netherlands, using the same underpinnings as its sister car, the now discontinued Smart Forfour. ... The Nissan Micra is an automobile produced by Nissan. ... The Nissan Silvia is the name given to the companys long-running line of sport coupes based on the Nissan S platform. ... The Opel Astra is a small family car produced by Opel, a subsidiary of General Motors. ... Vauxhall Astra is a model-name which has been used by Vauxhall, the British subsidiary of General Motors (GM), on their small family car ranges since 1979. ... 1994 Vauxhall Tigra The Opel Tigra is a sports car produced by Opel (a subsidiary of General Motors Corporation) based on its Corsa supermini. ... 1994 Vauxhall Tigra The Opel Tigra is a sports car produced by Opel (a subsidiary of General Motors Corporation) based on its Corsa supermini. ... The Peugeot 206 is a supermini manufactured by the French automaker Peugeot since 1998. ... The Peugeot 307 is a compact automobile produced by the French Peugeot manufacturer since 2001. ... The Peugeot 207 CC is a coupé-cabriolet introduced in 2007 by PSA Peugeot to replace the aging Peugeot 206 CC. It sits below the 307 CC in the cabriolet range. ... Pontiac G6 coupe Pontiac G6 hardtop convertible The Pontiac G6 is a mid-size car released in September 2004 for the 2005 model year. ... Renault Mégane pre-2002 Renault Mégane Convertible Renault Mégane CC The Renault Mégane is a small family car produced by the French automaker Renault since 1995. ... The Volvo C70 is a compact car built by the Ford Motor Companys Volvo subsidiary. ... Back view Eos Highway 1 The Volkswagen Eos is a coupe convertible from Volkswagen produced from 2006. ...

References

• Index of cars with retractable hardtops
• [http://www.georgespaulin-lesite.com