Retractable hardtop explained

A retractable hardtop — also known as "coupé convertible" or "coupé cabriolet" — is a car with an automatically operated, self-storing hardtop, as opposed to the folding textile-based roof used by traditional convertible cars.

Improved climate control and security benefits are traded against increased mechanical complexity, cost, weight, and often reduced luggage capacity.

A 2006 New York Times article suggested the retractable hardtop might herald the demise of the textile-roofed convertible, and a 2007 Wall Street Journal article suggested "more and more convertibles are eschewing soft cloth tops in favor of sophisticated folding metal roofs, making them practical in all climates, year-round."[1]

History

1922 Ben P. Ellerbeck was granted a patent (U.S. No. 1,379,906 on 31 May 1921) for a retractable hardtop roof design for cars.[2] He developed several scale models for the 1922 Automobile Body Builders Exhibition in New York City.[3] In 1922, he modified a 1919 Hudson Super Six roadster with his manually operated gear and spring "flip top" system.[2] It allowed unimpeded use of the rumble seat even with the top down.[4] The design was not put into production.[5]

1931 Georges Paulin made his idea public by applying for a patent on a detachable hard roof design that could ultimately be moved and stowed automatically in a car's rear luggage compartment, under a reverse-hinged rear-deck lid.

1932 The French patent system granted Paulin patent number 733.380 for his Eclipse roof system on 5 July 1932.[6]

1934 Paulin's Eclipse retractable hard roof [7] was first presented on the Peugeot 401D Éclipse Décapotable, a low convertible coupé.[8] [9] In 1933, Paulin showed his designs to premier coachbuilder Marcel Pourtout, who hired him as lead designer, and in 1934 they equipped first a Peugeot 401D, followed by a 601C, with "Eclipse" roofs and bodywork, on chassis provided by Emile Darl'mat. The same year, a Lancia Belna, a French-built Lancia Augusta, was also built as an Eclipse.[10]

1935 Peugeot purchased Paulin's patent, and introduced the first factory production, power-operated, retractable hardtop in 1935, the "402BL Éclipse Décapotable",[11] [12] of which some 470 were built.[7] Pourtout build custom examples, designed by Paulin, on other makes including Delage and Panhard as well as the "Eclipse" coupé-convertibles based on the Peugeot 301, 401, 601, 302, and 402.[7]

1941 Chrysler introduced a retractable hardtop concept car, the Chrysler Thunderbolt.[13] [14]

1947 American Playboy Automobile Company marketed one of the first series produced convertibles, with a retractable roof consisting of more than one section. Ninety-seven production models were made until the company's bankruptcy in 1951.[15]

1953 Ford Motor Company spent an estimated US$2 million (US$ in dollars) to engineer a Continental Mark II with a servo-operated retractable roof. The concept was rejected for cost and marketing reasons.[4] Engineering work was used by Ford for the retractable mechanism in their 1957 through 1959 flagship Ford Fairlane 500 Skyliner.

1955 Brothers Ed and Jim Gaylord showed a prototype at the 1955 Paris Motor Show, but the car failed to reach production.[16]

1956 After working for 4,000 hours and investing $100 in the whole car, Raymond P. Meyette built a one-piece power-operated hardtop convertible using a 1952 Nash Ambassador chassis.[17]

1957 Ford introduced the Fairlane 500 Skyliner in the United States. Further development of the 1953 Continental Mark II retractable proposal cost an estimated US$18 million (US$ in dollars).[18] The Skyliner was a halo car with little luggage space and was priced double the baseline Ford sedan. A total of 48,394 were built from 1957 until 1959.[4] Its mechanism contained ten power relays, ten limit switches, four lock motors, three drive motors, eight circuit breakers, as well as 610feet of electrical wire.[4] It could raise or lower the top in about 40 seconds. The retractable top was noted for its complexity and usual reliability in the pre-transistor era.[19] [20]

1989 Toyota introduced a retractable hardtop, the MZ20 Soarer Aerocabin. The car featured an electric folding hardtop and was marketed as a two-seater with a cargo area behind the front seats. Production was 500 units.

1995 The Mitsubishi GTO Spyder by ASC was marketed in the U.S.[5] The design was further popularized by such cars as the 1996 Mercedes-Benz SLK.[7] and 2001 Peugeot 206 CC.

2006 Peugeot presented a concept four-door retractable hardtop convertible, the Peugeot 407 Macarena.[21] Produced by French coachbuilding specialist Heuliez, the Macarena's top folded in about 30 seconds.[21] It has a reinforcing beam behind the front seats incorporating LCD screens into the crossmember for the rear passengers.[21]

Construction

Retractable hardtops are commonly made from between two and five sections of metal or plastic and often rely on complex dual-hinged trunk/boot lids that enable the trunk lid to both receive the retracting top from the front and also receive parcels or luggage from the rear. The trunk also often includes a divider mechanism to prevent the loading of luggage that would conflict with the operation of the hardtop.

Variations

Comparison with soft tops

The retractable hardtop's advantages include:

The retractable hardtop's disadvantages include:

List of retractable hardtop models

See main article: List of coupé convertibles.

Notes and References

  1. News: Convertibles with Hard Tops . The Wall Street Journal . Matt . Vella . 26 April 2007 . 3 February 2014.
  2. Gosden . W.E. . The first Fliptop? Ellerbeck had a Better Idea . Special Interest Autos . April 1979 . 20–21.
  3. Creager . Reid . Going Like 100: the convertible celebrates a milestone birthday, all started by an uncelebrated inventor . Inventors Digest . February 2022 . 38 . 2 . 14–16 . 14 January 2024.
  4. Web site: Ford Skyliner . Driving Today . Jack . Nerad . dead . https://web.archive.org/web/20140221195452/http://www.drivingtoday.com/greatest_cars/ford_skyliner/index.html . 21 February 2014 . 13 January 2024.
  5. Web site: History, Revival . Retractable Hardtop Online . 3 February 2014.
  6. Web site: The Story of Lancia, Paulin and John Moir . Buchanan . James . redroom.com . https://web.archive.org/web/20110726032435/http://www.redroom.com/articlestory/the-story-lancia-paulin-and-john-moir . 26 July 2011 . 13 January 2024.
  7. News: New Again: The Hideaway Hardtop . The New York Times . Rob . Sass . 10 December 2006 . 6 March 2011 . https://web.archive.org/web/20151029090916/https://www.nytimes.com/2006/12/10/automobiles/10RETRACT.html?ex=1323406800&en=a440f0f4ff67f836&ei=5090&partner=rssuserland&emc=rss . 29 October 2015.
  8. News: 1935 Peugeot Model 401D Eclipse: The first retractable hardtop . autoweek.com . Brooks T. . Brierley . 17 June 2001 . 31 March 2021.
  9. Web site: From the Zero to the Eclipse . Peugeot.mainspot.net . 31 March 2021 . dead . https://web.archive.org/web/20100117200913/http://peugeot.mainspot.net/hist11.shtml . 17 January 2010.
  10. Web site: 1934 Lancia Belna Eclipse by Pourtout . 9 June 2019.
  11. Disappearing Top On Auto Worked By Push Button . Popular Mechanics . February 1935 . 253 . 63 . 2 . 14 August 2013 .
  12. Latest Foreign Auto Has Disappearing Top . Popular Mechanics . January 1936 . 53 . 65 . 1 . 14 August 2013 .
  13. Web site: ((Auto Editors of Consumer Guide)) . 1941 Chrysler Thunderbolt Roadster . auto.howstuffworks.com . 29 November 2007 . 15 January 2024.
  14. Web site: Vanderbilt Cup Races - Blog - Mystery Friday Foto #4 Solved: The 1941 Chrysler Thunderbolt concept car with links to Tucker 1044 and 1937 Chrysler's Chrysler . vanderbiltcupraces.com . 30 January 2023 . 15 January 2024.
  15. Web site: Radu . Vlad . Remembering the Playboy, America's First Production Convertible With a Retractable Hardtop . autoevolution . 6 June 2022 . 15 January 2024.
  16. Web site: 1950 Gaylord concept cars . auto.howstuffworks.com . ((Auto Editors of Consumer Guide)) . 13 November 2007 . http://web.archive.org/web/20210117132912/http://auto.howstuffworks.com/1950s-gaylord-concept-cars.htm . 17 January 2021 . 13 January 2024.
  17. Sand . George X. . They told him it could not be built - so he built it himself: A Hardtop Convertible . Popular Mechanics . December 1956 . 106 . 6 . 138–139 . 13 January 2024.
  18. Web site: Raising the Roof: The Ford Skyliner 'Retrac' . Aaron . Severson . 26 April 2009 . Ate Up With Motor . 9 December 2016.
  19. Book: Willson, Quentin . The Ultimate Classic Car Book . 1995 . DK Publishing . 0-7894-0159-2 . registration .
  20. Web site: ((Auto Editors of Consumer Guide)) . 1957-1959 Ford Fairlane 500 Skyliner . auto.howstuffworks.com . 20 July 2007 . 14 August 2013 .
  21. Web site: ¡Hey, Macarena! Heuliez Creates an Open-Top Peugeot 407 . Edmunds . 28 January 2006 . dead . https://web.archive.org/web/20061219010531/http://www.edmunds.com/insideline/do/News/articleId%3D109085 . 19 December 2006.
  22. Web site: 2007 Mazda MX-5 Miata Power Retractable Hardtop . 6 March 2011 . autoweek.com . Mark . Vaughn . 10 September 2006.
  23. Web site: 2007 Mazda MX-5 Miata Hardtop . Car and Driver . 1 September 2006 . 28 June 2018.
  24. Web site: 2008 Chrysler Sebring Convertible . Dave . Lauzun . Autonetwork.com . https://ghostarchive.org/varchive/youtube/20211221/jiIEyCFR9Gg . 21 December 2021 . live. 3 February 2014.
  25. Great Drive: Luxury Hardtop Convertible Comparison . Automobile . August 2009 . 14 August 2013 .
  26. Arthur . St. Antoine . Luxury Convertible Comparison: 2010 Audi A5 vs 2010 BMW 335i vs 2009 Infiniti G37 vs 2010 Lexus IS 350 . Motor Trend . May 2010 . 3 February 2014.
  27. Web site: 2007 VW Eos vs. Audi A4, BMW 328i, Volvo C70, Saab 9-3 – Comparison Tests . caranddriver.com . June 2007 . Tony . Swan . 3 February 2014.
  28. 2010 Audi A5 2.0T Quattro vs. 2010 BMW 328i, 2009 Infiniti G37, 2010 Lexus IS350C – Comparison Tests . Tony . Swan . Car and Driver . March 2010 . 3 February 2014.
  29. Web site: 2007 Volvo C70 . volvocars.com, C70 owner documentation, Page 93 . 3 February 2014.

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