My best moments have been in convertibles but sales are plummeting & there's a reason why
ERIN BAKER My best moments have been in convertibles but sales are plummeting & there's a reason why
IN more than 25 years as a motoring journalist, I have tested all sorts of vehicles – from supercars to SUVs.
I have been in all sorts of countries and on all sorts of circuits and roads. And it occurs to me that all the best moments have been spent in convertibles.
Advertisement
3
What could beat cruising through London in a Bentley Continental GTC, roof down and V8 humming, as summer scents and city lights filled the warm evening air
Credit: Handout
3
Mazda's MX-5 is the world's best-selling
Credit: Getty
Why is that? Well, it's nothing to do with performance or handling, given drop-tops come in all shapes and sizes.
No, it's because driving with the roof down is the ultimate celebration of life – with the wind in your hair, the weather in your face, belting out songs at the top of your voice without a care in the world, your senses overwhelmed by the noises and sounds.
It's raw, it's immersive. It's what driving is meant to be about.
There was the time I found myself crawling up a closed ski slope in Chamonix, France, at the launch of one of the world's few convertible SUVs, the Land Rover Evoque (there's also the Jeep Wrangler whose roof comes off, or the Volkswagen T-Roc Cabrio, if you fancy the idea).
Advertisement
It was a very strange and massively fun experience, surrounded by the high, chunky sides of this 4x4, tyres crunching through the snow, but with blue sky above me and the warm sun on my face.
Shame no one else loved it as much as me and it disappeared from sale.
Thing of beauty
Then there was the drive through London one August evening in a Bentley Continental GTC (it's a tough job), with its smart tweed roof furled behind the embossed headrests, V8 engine purring quietly in the twilight heat, mellow sounds on the radio, the city smells of restaurants, perfume, cigar smoke and life drifting gently through the yellow pools of street light.
And of course, right back in a world before children, when disposable income was a thing, and responsibility was not, my boyfriend and I had a two-seater Mazda MX-5 in London.
Advertisement
It is the world's best-selling convertible, which we used and abused, as you do in your twenties, unclipping the vinyl roof on the move, throwing it back to land where it pleased behind our seats, before hurtling out into the countryside for yet another mini-break. Sigh.
Recently, I had the pleasure of six months with one of the UK's two current electric convertible models on sale, the Abarth 500e (a hot version of the Fiat 500e).
Ferrari releases NEW convertible with blistering 211mph top speed for £366,500
Electric convertibles aren't yet a thing because everyone has been concentrating on keeping the weight and price down and efficiency up for electric cars, to extend their range as much as possible, which means no drop-top.
However, I hope we start to see more on sale as efficiency and cost improve, because driving along in silence with that little roof folded back was a thing of beauty.
Advertisement
It sounds cheesy, but you really do feel at one with nature, breathing in air that you haven't polluted with tailpipe emissions
It sounds cheesy, but you really do feel at one with nature, breathing in air that you haven't polluted with tailpipe emissions, listening to the birds calling in the sky above you, the blue stretching on forever.
It beats an air-conditioned box any day.
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
The Irish Sun
6 hours ago
- The Irish Sun
Millions of drivers BANNED if they fail key compulsory test under plans for major law change – will you be affected?
ROAD BAN Millions of drivers BANNED if they fail key compulsory test under plans for major law change – will you be affected? MILLIONS of drivers will be banned if they fail a compulsory test under plans for a major law change. Ministers are mulling bringing in a new rule for older drivers in England and Wales. 4 Vision checks for older driver are expected to be reinforced under the changes Credit: Getty 4 There has been an increase in the number of older people who continue to drive with sight or medical issues Mandatory eye tests for drivers over the age of 70 are being considered alongside a range of other measures, The Times reports. The proposals also include reducing the drink-drive limit and tougher penalties on uninsured drivers and those who fail to wear a seatbelt. They will belong to a new road safety strategy that the government plans to publish this autumn. The change would mark the biggest shake-up of driving rules for nearly two decades, since the Road Safety Act introduced under Tony Blair in 2006. Over-70s would be required to undertake an eye-test every three years. A potential medical test for conditions, such as dementia, is also reportedly being looked at alongside eye tests. People over 70 already lose their C1 and D1 entitlements on their license. C1 allows drivers to handle medium-sized vehicles with a Maximum Authorised Mass (MAM) between 3,500kg and 7,500kg. D1 entitlements mean drivers can use minibuses that have less than 16 passengers. Older drivers under the new rules could also be faced with further regulations due to concerns over the number of road accidents that have seen a recent increase after years of decline. Major New Driving Laws for Summer & Fall 2025: What You Need to Know Last year, 1,633 people were killed in road traffic accidents, and nearly 28,000 were seriously injured. This now equates to around one casualty every 18 minutes, despite numbers almost halving from 41,000 to 24,000 between 2000 and 2010. On top of that, the number of drivers over the age of 60 involved in serious or fatal collisions in the UK has also risen by 47 per cent since 2010. Incidents of people being killed in drink-driving incidents have also risen over the past decade, reaching a 13-year high in 2022. Ministers are therefore thinking about a implementing reforms to Britain's road safety measures, with the UK being considered to have the "laxest" rules in Europe. It is the one of only three countries to rely on the self-reporting of visual conditions among individuals who deem their ability to drive affected. This comes with the rise in drug-driving incidents, as well as those involving older people who continue to drive with failing sight or other medical conditions. Transport secretary, Heidi Alexander, has been developing a wide-range of new safety measures and increased penalties for breaking the law. Current key road safety messages and penalties such as around wearing seatbelts and avoiding drink-driving are considered to no longer be working. The percentage of casualties killed while not wearing a seatbelt has risen from 21 per cent in 2014 to 25 per cent in 2023. 4 Drivers over the age of 60 have increasingly been involved in serious collisions Credit: Getty 4 In Britain, this increased by 47 per cent since 2010 Credit: Getty For back seat passengers, this increased to 40 per cent, with 181 fatalities in 2023, compared to 142 passengers killed not wearing a seatbelt in 2020. Currently, drivers not wearing seatbelts are issued three penalty points, and a maximum court fine of £500. Passengers with a licence, who do not wear a seatbelt, can be issued two penalty points. Along with new proposals around drink and drug-driving limits, and criminal penalties for driving without insurance, the strategy is due to be published in the autumn. It will be put out for consultation, with parts expected to require primary legislation. Edmund King, AA president, said: 'It is in everyone's interests to tackle road safety and bring the levels of death and serious injuries down significantly. 'In other countries, such as Australia and Canada, the introduction of new measures to help young drivers have reduced death and serious injury from between 20 per cent and up to 40 per cent. "Hence if the UK scheme saw similar reductions, it is estimated that at least 58 deaths and 934 serious injuries could be prevented each year.' He also brought up the need for increased police enforcement to ensure rules are followed. "The stark reality is that, as well as better education and tougher rules, we need more officers to police the streets — at least 1,000 more roads officers, not only to act as a deterrent, but to stop dangerous drivers in the act before a tragedy happens," King added. Director of the RAC Foundation, Steve Gooding, stated that full evidence of eye testing should also be a standard component to driver licensing when first applying, and at each renewal. 'It will be important for any new strategy to recognise the priorities that we and others have highlighted — focusing on young drivers, crash investigation and mandatory fitment of safe-driving features in new cars — but also to maintain activity on established issues such as drink and drug-driving and seatbelt wearing.'
Irish Independent
12 hours ago
- Irish Independent
Cannonball set to make a return to Sligo
Cannonball is coming back to Sligo on Saturday September 13th for the finish line of day 2 at 6pm. Cannonball, the action-packed supercar spectacle is set to roll from September 12th-14th leaving Johnstown Estate in Enfield taking in Ballymaloe, Killarney, Clare, Sligo, Cavan before finishing in Naas, Co Kildare. Cannonball, fuelled by miles+ from Circle K, is the largest organised road trip in Europe featuring the finest cars on the planet including Ferrari, Lamborghini and McLaren, Porsche, Aston Martin, and Maserati. Over 200,000 spectators are expected with free festivals organised from coast to coast. Cannonball is a free family event and spectators are welcome to come and view the cars from 6pm in Sligo and meet the drivers. The finish line will be at Queen Maeve Square. Jack and Jill Children's Foundation is the official charity partner for Cannonball 2025. 48 children in Sligo have been cared for by the charity since its inception in 1997 and this year 6 children in Sligo are being cared for by Jack and Jill.
The Irish Sun
12 hours ago
- The Irish Sun
Another blow for struggling car brand as it's forced to recall 14,000 motors over ‘confusing headlight malfunction'
It has issued six recalls so far this year HIT REVERSE Another blow for struggling car brand as it's forced to recall 14,000 motors over 'confusing headlight malfunction' A STRUGGLING car brand is facing yet another blow as it was forced to recall 14,000 vehicles. The recall concerns a headlight malfunction which could cause confusion for oncoming drivers. 2 Nissan has recalled around 14,000 cars over a headlight fault Credit: Getty The recall As a result, Nissan has recalled 13,719 of the faulty cars. It affects its 2025 Frontier model - a midsize pickup truck. New regulations mean that modern cars have to run the front lights even during the daytime. However, a software issue has left the Nissan trucks with its two front lights dimmed. The company told The Daily Mail that the lights become dim when the start-stop function occurs, usually at a red light or in traffic. It led to concern that it might confuse oncoming drivers or pedestrians, "increasing the risk of a crash". What you need to do? Thankfully the recall has a relatively easy fix. Drivers just need to bring their car into a dealership where they will receive a free computer update. A notice will be issued to customers in the post in mid-September. Sales of the car have slowed this year, with a 23 per cent decline from last year's reports. Luxury automaker to convert once-beloved sports bar left abandoned for years into an 'exclusive' motorcycle dealership Nissan's ongoing problems Nissan has been facing a number of ongoing issues, with concerns that the brand could collapse. With a $4.5 billion net loss over the last financial year, and around $4.8 billion debt, the motor company has been desperately looking for solutions. A potential merger with Honda earlier this year fell through. As part of a restructuring plan, a number of its production plants are set to close, potentially affecting thousands of employees. Amidst the financial issues, the company has also issued six recalls this year alone. Over 440,000 cars were recalled in the US over concerns of engine failure. A manufacturing defect could increase the likelihood of engine damage or failure, increasing the risk of a crash. The recall includes the 2021-2024 Rogue, 2019-2020 Altima, 2019-2022 Infiniti QX50 and 2022 Infiniti QX55. All vehicles have either a three-cylinder, 1.5 litre or four-cylinder, two litre variable compression turbo engine. Drivers could take their cars into a dealership for inspection and repair if needed.
