Question of the Week: What Car Would You Choose for a T-best Conversion?—WINNER’S UPDATE
WINNER’S ANNOUNCEMENT:
We’re back to announce the winner for our Question of the Week, where our victor will accept a $25 credit for a hat or T-shirt from the BaT Gear Store and the acclaim of their peers.
Our question this week: What car would you choose for a T-top conversion?
Thanks to everyone who chimed in! It was quite the open discussion this week, but in the end, one nomination stood out from the rest—the Aston Martin DB7! BaT member @bodhi1601 was the first to it, but he already won a QotW earlier this year, and we want to spread the love around. So we’re awarding the prize to the runner-up this week—congratulations, @EBecker! Check your email to claim the prize.
Nice choice, indeed! It looks like no one’s grabbed their hacksaw to create a T-top DB7 quite yet. However, the closest Aston Martin ever came to the idea was during the DB7’s development, which included a targa variant—though diehard drop-top buyers opted for a full convertible instead.
No known photos of a Targa prototype exist, but Italdesign Giugiaro gave us a glimpse in 2001 with the Twenty Twenty Concept, which was based on a DB7 Vantage.
Now, let’s take a look at some other popular nominations from this week’s discussion thread:
“Toyota Celica Liftback 2000 GT has a factory should’ve done it vibe. I mean, come on, they built these things smack dab in the golden age of T‑tops, with a long straight roofline, frameless windows, and dramatic fastback silhouette that practically screams, ‘Give me T‑tops!’ It looks like it’s trying to be the jealous Japanese 2nd cousin of the Mustang that did get them.”
“As a longtime fan/owner of ’86-’89 Mitsubishi Starions/Chrysler Conquests I’ve always thought a T-top option would have been awesome on these sporty little rascals! To me the available sunroof option was ‘meh’ – if structurally possible and financially feasible I can’t help but think T-tops on a Starquest would’ve been a hit!”
“Vintage Chevy Luv pickup (except not in screaming yellow) …. because I still live hopelessly sometimes in the late 1970s.
http://99wspeedshop.com/Truckin/1977-09.webp“
“Lotus, Evora and Emira. Also the Nissan 350/370 and 400Z deserved to have a T-top or Targa option since their rooflines and drip rails look like a template for them. And yes the current Mustang.”
A handful of Lotus were mentioned, with the Emira being the most popular pick.
A modern Z car is another great choice.
“I have a 1978 Eldorado with American T-Tops. Works well and looks like they could have been factory fit.”
Aftermarket companies like ASC supplied a number of T-top conversions during the era, and this particular Eldorado even sports electric T-tops!
“TVR Cerbera. Make an insane car even more insane.”
That’s it for this week’s Question of the Week! Thanks again to everyone who participated, and congratulations once again to our winner, EBecker. We’ll be back with a new question soon.
ORIGINAL POST:
Welcome to the BaT Question of the Week! For those unfamiliar, here are the rules: we ask an automotive-themed question, and the author of our favorite answer from the comments is awarded a $25 credit to the BaT Gear Store.
Our question this week is: What car would you choose for a T-top conversion?
General Motors may have popularized T-tops in the 1970s, but the idea predates Seger’s mullet. In fact, Gordon Buehrig—of Cord, Auburn, and Duesenberg fame—incorporated the feature on the 1948 TASCO prototype.
The C3 Corvette officially brought T-tops into the limelight during the tail end of the 1960s, and by the 1970s, the open-air design appeared on a variety of cars within the General’s lineup. Vehicles from other automakers like Ford, Toyota, Nissan, and even Suzuki (with the X-90) tuned in to the vibe and rocked their own T-tops over the following decades.
Today, the T-top has faded into automotive design obscurity, but it has remained a favorite among enthusiasts who prefer open-air motoring without chancing potential decapitation.
You get the point. Now we’re asking you to put your thinking cap on. And remember, we’re looking for vehicles that should have had T-tops or would be better with them, not cars that came with them from the factory.
What car would you choose for a T-top conversion?
Tell us your suggestions in the comments, and give a thumbs-up to any nominations that grab your attention. We’ll announce the winner on Monday.
“Aston Martin Db7 – Nice choice. Really any sport sedan with beautiful lines that you don’t want to ruin with a soft top would benefit from a t-top. Ferrari 400i, 60’s Mustang, Maserati BiTurbo all come to mind. But this week I’ll go along with the Db7.”
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EBecker commented on Question of the Week: What Car Would You Choose for a T-top Conversion?—WINNER’S UPDATE