Summer Means Convertibles

Summer Means Convertibles

By DENNIS HOUSE

I’ve been a convertible lover for as long as I can remember. I think my joy of convertibles happened shortly after birth during my first time in public. Even though I was born during a heavy snowstorm, my parents took me home from Norwood Hospital in their convertible. It was a 1960 Ford Sunliner, black with red interior. Of course, I don’t remember that car, and mom and dad traded in for a station wagon before I learned how to walk. I have a penchant for wagons too but that story is for another day. 

If I could go back in time and go car shopping, it would have to be the 1960s when just about every car brand offered a convertible. Today, only a handful of automakers make a topless vehicle and none are “as big as a whale” like a Chrysler Newport or Chevrolet Impala that comfortably hold six adults and were ubiquitous on American roads back in the day. It seemed every show I watched as a kid featured a convertible in a supporting role. Who can forget Mike Brady’s Plymouth Barracuda in the Brady Bunch, the Pontiac GTO from I Dream of Jeannie and, of course, the Batmobile? 

Safety concerns in the mid-70s led to the discontinuation of nearly all convertibles but they came back into favor in the 1980s with cars like the Ford Mustang, Chevy Cavalier and Chrysler LeBaron, and a model that I bought that remains one of my favorite cars. 

My first convertible I bought in the mid-1980s was a 1963 Chevy Nova; the official color was cardinal red. It was more of a collector car but I used it as a daily driver. I wanted something newer and safer for everyday use. When I was working as a news anchor in Rockford, Ill., I bought a 1988 Pontiac Sunbird GT convertible. I loved that car. It took me nearly 160,000 miles to and from TV jobs in Illinois, Michigan and Connecticut. For an inexpensive, four-cylinder engine, that Sunbird never gave me any problems. After seven years, I traded it in for the worst car I ever owned: a Saab 900 convertible. I loved the eucalyptus green color, but the real green in this story was the money it sucked out of me. It was more expensive than my Pontiac, but far less reliable and super costly to fix the many repairs that came after the warranty ran out. 

I traded that in without any hesitation or regret. I’ve owned a few convertibles since then, including a 1965 Electra 225 I bought with Kara from a couple in Bristol. We had that for about 10 years. It was a staple in the Hartford St. Patrick’s Day parade (festooned with Irish adornments), and going to the beach and ice cream trips with the kids. We sold it with the help of Wayne Carini in Portland, who knows a thing or two about convertibles. He is the custodian of one of the most recognizable convertibles: the 1949 Buick Roadmaster featured in the Tom Cruise Dustin Hoffman classic, “Rain Man.”

Carini doesn’t own it but he takes care of it for owner Barry Levinson and uses it to help promote autism awareness. This cruiser is massive and sitting in it is quite the experience. I was excited for the opportunity. I asked Carini about the history of convertibles. He pointed out that the first cars ever made were topless, “open carriages” if you will. He said convertibles really became popular when servicemen returned home from World War II, some with European ragtops, and the demand grew. By the 1960s, nearly every American automaker offered at least one convertible. 

“Convertibles give a feeling of freedom. It is a great feeling to have the sun on your face and the wind in your air,” Carini told me, and described the Roadmaster, “like a living room on wheels.” Convertibles are good for the senses, Carini added; with the top down, he can smell the flowers, trees, and even the fresh smell of a lake or stream.

After the Saab, I owned a BMW convertible for a few years, immortalized in our wedding album. My most recent convertible is a Buick Cascada, which is an under-appreciated, fun machine. It has lots of safety features and comfortably seats four. My daughter loves to borrow it. Low sales led General Motors to discontinue it, but the Cascada was not alone. Many automakers no longer make convertibles, saying the demand has faded. 

I think the tide may be turning though and there is a market for more convertibles. However, automakers need to look at the past for inspiration and make these cars fun. A modern-day convertible needs a comfortable backseat, eye-catching design and fun colors. Names are important, too. Buick Riviera or Chevrolet Impala. How about a new Chrysler Imperial? The last batch of Chrysler convertibles, called the 200, were sold in hues of gray, brown and white. No wonder why no one bought them; they vanished a decade ago. If Cadillac and Lincoln want to compete with BMW and Mercedes, then produce a convertible to go head-to-head with theirs. I asked Chat GPT to make a 2025 version of my now 60-year-old Electra…and wow!

If you have a convertible, get out there and let the Connecticut summer wind blow through your hair. Take a drive to Skipper’s in Niantic or watch the sunset at Sherwood Island State Park. Hit up the drive-in theaters in Mansfield, Southington or Barkhamsted. Now is the time! Remember, it will be snowing before we know it! 

Dennis House has been covering the news in Connecticut for over 30 years. He can be seen weeknights at 6 and 11 p.m. on WTNH and at 10 p.m. on WCTX. He also hosts This Week in Connecticut Sunday mornings at 10 a.m.