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<div>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). The collapsible roof section is typically made from flexible [[canvas]] or [[vinyl]], although [[plastic]], [[aluminium]] and [[steel]] have occasionally been used in elaborate folding designs. Most modern vehicles have an electrical retraction mechanism.<br />
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When the top is made of a rigid material such as steel it is often referred to as a [[retractable hardtop]] instead of a convertible; in [[Europe]] this body style is frequently called '''coupé cabriolet''' or '''coupé convertible'''.<br />
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Unlike a [[roadster]], which may also have a soft folding top, a convertible has roll-up glass windows in the sides, and so the entire vehicle is "convertible" to an enclosed [[coupé]].<br />
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Convertibles are usually 2 door models, only a few 4 door models exist e.g. the [[1960s]] [[Lincoln Continental#1961-1969 Lincoln Continental|Lincoln Continental]].<br />
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==History==<br />
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In the [[vintage car]] era, the convertible was the default body style. It was not until 1910 that [[Cadillac (automobile)|Cadillac]] introduced the first closed-body car. A combination of weak engines and public expectation that a car was analogous to a wagon meant that steel roofs were not in demand until then. Later, convertibles were made less often, possibly due in part to an unfulfilled threat made in the mid-1970s by the [[United States]] government to increase rollover safety requirements that may have made auto manufacturers hesitant to manufacture cars that would be unsellable under those new restrictions. By the [[1970s]] they had almost disappeared and in [[1976]] the [[Cadillac Eldorado]] was advertised as "The last convertible in America". During this period of very low convertible production, [[T-top]]s became a popular alternative to convertibles, especially in [[muscle car]]s.<br />
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It was not until the 1980s and cars like the [[Chrysler LeBaron]] and [[Saab 900]] convertibles that the body style made a comeback. Also in the 1980s, [[hot hatch]]es such as the [[Ford Escort (European)|Ford Escort XR3i]] and [[Volkswagen Golf GTI]] were selling a high amount of cabriolets, and in the 1990s, the [[Mazda MX-5]] again cemented the convertible as the [[sports car]] body style of choice. Today, there are scores of convertible cars offered by nearly every manufacturer.<br />
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== Notable convertibles ==<br />
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*[[Alfa Romeo Spider]]<br />
*[[Aston Martin DB9 Volante]]<br />
*[[Audi TT]]<br />
*[[Audi A4]] Convertible<br />
*[[Bentley Continental GTC]]<br />
*[[BMW Z3]]<br />
*[[BMW Z4]]<br />
*[[BMW 3 Series]] Convertible<br />
*[[BMW 6 Series]] Convertible<br />
*[[Cadillac Sixty Special]]<br />
*[[Cadillac Eldorado]]<br />
*[[Cadillac XLR]]<br />
*[[Chevrolet Corvette]]<br />
*[[Chrysler LeBaron]]<br />
*[[Chrysler Sebring]] Convertible<br />
*[[Chrysler TC by Maserati]]<br />
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*[[Dodge 400]]<br />
*[[Honda S2000]]<br />
*[[Ford Mustang GT]]<br />
*[[Jaguar XK120|Jaguar XK series]]<br />
*[[Lincoln Continental#1961-1969 Lincoln Continental|Lincoln Continental]]<br />
*[[Lotus Elise]]<br />
*[[Lotus Elan]]<br />
*[[Mazda MX-5]]/Miata<br />
*[[Mercedes-Benz G-Class]] Convertible<br />
*[[Mercedes-Benz SL]]<br />
*[[Mercedes-Benz SLK]]<br />
*[[MG F|MG TF]]<br />
*[[MGB]]<br />
*[[MINI]]<br />
*[[Mitsubishi Eclipse]] Spyder<br />
*[[Nash Metropolitan]]<br />
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*[[Nissan 350Z]] Roadster<br />
*[[Opel Astra Cabrio]]<br />
*[[Opel Tigra TwinTop]]<br />
*[[Peugeot 206 CC]]<br />
*[[Peugeot 307 CC]]<br />
*[[Porsche 356]]<br />
*[[Porsche Boxster]]<br />
*[[Renault Mégane CC]]<br />
*[[Saab 900]]<br />
*[[Saab 9-3]]<br />
*[[Vauxhall VX220]]<br />
*[[Volvo C70]]<br />
*[[Volkswagen Cabriolet]]<br />
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== See also ==<br />
[[Image:2005BoxsterS.JPG|thumb|150px|right|2005 Porsche Boxster S]]<br />
*[[Cabrio coach]]<br />
*[[Retractable hardtop]]<br />
*[[Roadster]]<br />
*[[Spyder]]<br />
*[[Targa top]]<br />
*[[T-top]]<br />
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== External links ==<br />
{{commonscat|convertibles}}<br />
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*[http://www.automotoportal.com/category/convertibles Convertibles]<br />
*[http://www.convertiblecarmagazine.com/ Convertible Car Magazine]<br />
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[[Category:Convertibles| ]]<br />
[[Category:Car body styles]]</div>78.144.172.199