"Rainbow" (rainbeaux)
10/23/2019 at 21:40 • Filed to: None
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"Rainbow" (rainbeaux)
10/23/2019 at 21:40 • Filed to: None | 1
| 13 |
!!!error: Indecipherable SUB-paragraph formatting!!!
For four years in the 1950s, NASCAR had a convertible division. 20 of them ran in the '59 Daytona 500.
Just Jeepin'
> Rainbow
10/23/2019 at 22:09 |
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That’s awesome. Convertibles took a really steep dive in popularity at some point in the 2nd half of the 20th , but I don’t remember why (if I ever knew). There’s no accounting for taste.
Pixel
> Rainbow
10/23/2019 at 22:25 |
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Richard Petty ran an Oldsmobile that had a removable hardtop so he could run it in both the hardtop & convertible divisions.
Chariotoflove
> Rainbow
10/23/2019 at 22:41 |
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That is too awesome for words.
Shoop
> Rainbow
10/23/2019 at 23:00 |
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70 years later... Lmp1
promoted by the color red
> Rainbow
10/23/2019 at 23:31 |
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The true predecessor of the Global MX-5 cup?
WilliamsSW
> Just Jeepin'
10/23/2019 at 23:46 |
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Air conditioning had a lot to do with ir.
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Just Jeepin'
> WilliamsSW
10/23/2019 at 23:54 |
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That’s surprisingly mundane and particularly sad.
SiennaMan
> WilliamsSW
10/24/2019 at 00:14 |
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I think that’s right, but I also wonder if the move to unibody played a role too. It body on frame convertibles of that are even have any additional strengthening, or were they actually marginally lighter than hard tops?
glemon
> Rainbow
10/24/2019 at 01:04 |
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Early Nascar was the best, lightly modified “stock cars” as opposed to the tube frame uniformity we have today, a Jaguar won a Nascar race in ‘54
Hudson Hornets:
But I didn’t know about the convertible class, way cool.
Distraxi's idea of perfection is a Jagroen
> Just Jeepin'
10/24/2019 at 02:26 |
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The DOT pretty much killed them th em in the 70s by propo sing rollover safety rules that were alm ost impossible to mee t. Manufacturers reacted by stopping developm ent on anything new except the odd Targa. The r ule change was eventually cancelled, but by that time the damage had been done - convertibles were all tragic old designs that nobody wanted and the market moved on. It was only when Mazda rea l ised there were still people who pined for a little British roads ter ( that worked) that a minor comeback happened. But by that time higher highways speeds, ubiquitous A/C, and increasing safety consciousness mea n t they were a lways going to be a niche choic e.
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WilliamsSW
> SiennaMan
10/24/2019 at 07:38 |
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Body on frame convertibles were heavier than their coupe counterparts.
In general, for a given car line, the wagon was heaviest, then convertible, 4 door hardtop, 2 door hardtop, 4 door sedan, then the 2 door sedan was the lightest car in the line.
In many cases, the frame itself was beefier, but certainly the body would have reinforcements down low.
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SiennaMan
> WilliamsSW
10/24/2019 at 08:37 |
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Looking at how today goes, it's amazing that they made that many variations.. that order on weight makes more sense too..
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WilliamsSW
> Just Jeepin'
10/24/2019 at 11:40 |
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I read an article not too long ago that talked about the history of the convertible, the peak and decline. If I find it, I’ll post a link in reply. It was interesting- people talk about the (temporary) death of the American convertible in 1976, which was partly due to safety regs, but in reality it was declining all through the 1960s. The peak for convertibles was actually around 1958.