Topless Titans

In Which We Are Sold On The Virtues Of Convertibles.

- Christian Seabaugh

I should be the type of guy who likes convertibles. I live in Los Angeles, I’m under 30, and—to channel my inner narcissist for a second—my hair flows in the wind shampoo-commercial style.

Yet I can’t get behind the idea of top-down driving. It’s not one reason; it’s a bunch of little ones. Convertibles look ungainly to me with their tops up, and many don’t handle as well as their roofed brethren. And as a worry-wart (thanks, Mom), I’m convinced someone will come along with a switchblade and liberate me of nickels and an iPhone cable.

I’m apparently not the only one cool on convertibles; back during Peak Topless (between 1950 and 1970), American automakers offered at least 33 different convertibles, accounting for nearly 6 percent of new car sales. Nowadays, the Detroit Three offer up a combined five: the Buick Cascada (on death’s door),

Chevrolet Camaro, Chevrolet Corvette, Ford Mustang, and Jeep Wrangler/ Gladiator. Aside from the Wrangler, the Mustang and Camaro convertibles compose the lion’s share of drop-top sales in the U.S., both through rental fleets and via private owners.

Although it’s clear the convertible’s heyday has passed, a dedicated following obviously still exists. In the interest of trying to see what I’m missing out on,

I ordered up two of the most iconic droptops on the market to figure out which is the ultimate convertible for those who don’t like convertibles: the 2019 Chevrolet Camaro SS and 2019 Ford Mustang GT. As we’re in the midst of May Gray in Los Angeles, I couldn’t have asked for better drop-tops to get my feet—and hair—wet.