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s r a t S r a C With summer almost upon us, movie goer and car buff,
Roderick Eime, looks at the allure of the convertible and its enduring screen presence.
he image of Thelma and Louise
Ferrari
F430 Spider
and their 1966 Thunderbird
The 1961 Ferrari 250 GT California is one of the
Released in Australia in mid-2005, the F430
convertible plummeting over the
rarest Ferraris of all time, with only about 100
gloriously perpetuates the Ferrari convertible
precipice in the heart-wrenching
ever built. And when the lunatic car park
heritage, offering the topless versions as a
finale of the 1991 cult classic is
attendants thrash it to within an inch of its life in
premium alternative to the coupe. The F430’s
perhaps the scene that will
Ferris Bueller’s Day Off and it’s later wrecked
Pininfarina styling, both in hardtop and
always define the character of the convertible in
when launched out of a window, Ferrari fans
convertible, are derived from the iconic “shark
popular culture. Freedom, hedonism and a
were in uproar. Relax, the film car was a replica
nose” design of the 1961 F1 car that took Phil
touch of rebelliousness will always epitomise the
built on an MGB chassis. Nevertheless, Ferrari
Hill to world championship status.
top-down attitude. James Dean and his
were so incensed at this, they sued the replica
ultimately tragic Porsche 550 Spyder absolutely
company.
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Long gone are the painstaking procedures of stowing the hood.
cemented the “rebel without a cause” into the romantic psyche. Thanks to Hollywood, the image of the convertible roadster will always hold the appeal of a car constructed purely for enjoyment and allure. The DHC (Drop Head Coupe) has featured large in movies with style and sensuality as their theme. Dustin Hoffman’s Alfa Spider Duetto in The Graduate, the Chevrolet Corvette in Route 66 or even the tortured Ferrari 250 in Ferris Bueller’s Day Off all invoke the freespirited, fun-loving pleasure-seeker so often portrayed on the big screen. Here’s a rolling credit of famous convertibles and their co-stars - and we match them to their latter-day showroom equivalents.
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This stylistic flourish comes courtesy of a soft top system designed to take up a minimum of space. The fully-lined electric hood is completely automatic, and is opened and closed by seven electro hydraulic actuators. The hood folds over twice before disappearing completely into a well just ahead of the engine compartment, leaving the engine in full view at all times.
retractable hardtop to unfold itself from behind
official launch at the 36th Geneva Motor Show,
The F430 has a top speed of 305 km/h
the rear seats. The three-piece lightweight steel
the Pininfarina-designed soft-top was an instant
thanks to its mid-mounted 360kW, 4.3 litre V8
roof provides both superior sound insulation and
success and began a production dynasty that
and the price? A cool, $425,000, but the waiting
extremely large windows for excellent visibility.
continued until 1993.
list is well over 12 months.
The venerable Z-Series is retained in the
Today the Alfa Romeo Spider enjoys a
For dreamers, there is always the 320 km/h
delightful Z4 which starts at $78,000 for the 2.5
renaissance with two models superseding the
SuperAmerica V12. Just six of these incredible
litre manual version, or go the whole hog for the
last of those built on the original 105 series
beauties came to Australia last year and despite
Z4 M - $94,000
chassis. The current model, powered by either a
the $650,000 price tag were sold before they
2.2 litre, 136 kW 4 cylinder or the state-of-the-
Alfa Romeo Spider
art 191 kW 3.2 litre Quad Cam V6 in AWD is a
Despite its diminutive size and “entry level”
quantum leap from 1966. Even then, the
status, the Alfa Romeo Spider had an inordinate
ground-breaking Duetto, with 4-wheel discs and
When James Bond parked his “shaken not
effect on movie goers when it starred alongside
5-speed transmissions, was similarly cutting
stirred” derriere in the sublimely retro-styled
Dustin Hoffman and Anne Bancroft in the 1967
edge.
aluminium-bodied Z8 in The World Is Not
smash hit, The Graduate. Just one year after its
rolled off the ship. Keep an eye out for one.
BWM Z8
Enough, everybody wanted one. But BMW were determined to make the Z8 a rare beast and only three of the 5700 production run ever found their way to Australia in mid-2000. Priced at $328,000, they were snapped up by avid collectors despite the fact that the left-handdrive-only could never be registered for road use. Now out of production, the Z8 shares the identical 294kW, 5.0 litre, high-revving V8 as the M5 and accelerates from 0 to 100 km/h in a trifling 4.7 secs. Despite tantalising us with the likes of the Z8, BMW has always maintained a selection of stylish cabriolets for us regular drivers. The 3 Series convertible is best expressed in the justreleased, top-of-the-line 335i with its allaluminium Twin Turbo 225 kW straight-six engine. The 335i is priced at $104,500 Again, the roof is a breeze, excuse the pun, and it takes just 22 seconds for the fully-lined
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As with most modern convertibles, the
Spider’s hood is fully automatic and tucks away
The prestige CLK convertible coupe comes
on a SL 65 AMG with bi-turbo V12. This 450kW racing car costs $415,900.
unobtrusively to produce a seamless,
in a range of models from mild to wild. Starting
streamlined sports car. The 2.2 litre version
at $99,400 for the supercharged 200K right up
starts at $76,950 while the more desirable 3.2
to the hair-raising AMG 63 V8 with 354kW on
Porsche
V6 kicks off at $100,950
tap; just $214,000.
Porsche, celebrity, sports car and glamour can
Mercedes-Benz
affordable model. It’s smaller and strictly a two
and Hollywood-owners of Porsche 911s would
A firm favourite with the Californian glitterati, the
seater, save the SUV for the supermarket. You’ll
fill this issue, but the defining event in Porsche’s
sexy SL, CLK and SLK roadsters are always
look fine on Rodeo Drive in the entry-level SLK
rise to ultra-desirable status occurred when
popping up in the glamorous TV series and
200K (1.8 litre supercharged, 120kW) at
movie bad-boy, James Dean, died behind the
movies. Spotters will notice the CLK in Mean
$88,374. Max out the AMEX with a 55 AMG
wheel of his now legendary 550 RS roadster
Girls and Havoc and SLK in The OC, but the
(V8, 265kW, 5.4 litre) at $164,474.
“Little Bastard” in 1955. The circumstances of
The compact SLK is traditionally the more
CLK gets bare-chested in Mission Impossible 3
Move into the SL-Class statusphere and here
when Tom Cruise commandeers one for a
you’ll find the real pedigree machines. With a
heart-stopping dash to rescue his wife.
racing and performance heritage back to the
Celebrity owners include Britney Spears (SLK
great road races of the ‘50s with Stirling Moss
McLaren), Colleen McLoughlin, Wayne Rooney’s
at the wheel, SL-Class Roadsters don’t come
missus (SLK), Lindsay Lohan (SL65 AMG) and
cheap. Starting at $214,000 will get you the SL
Carmen Electra (SL-Series).
350 V6. Serious shoppers can go kick the tyres
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be said in the same breath. To list the movies
the crash have always remained controversial
For the Rest of Us
and the recovered wreck and its parts were
Lexus SC430
believed to be cursed as they went on to cause
Although it may not crow legend status yet, the
more mayhem until the car mysteriously
beautifully refined Lexus SC430’s list of movie
vanished in transit in 1960, never to be seen
credits grows too with The OC, Terminator 3,
again. Jerry Seinfeld owns a flawless 550 and is
CSI, 24 and Legally Blonde 2. The SC430 is a
a regular concours winner.
very driveable car, far removed from the blowy
Other notable Porsche convertible owners
drop-tops of old. The exemplary aerodynamics
include David Beckham, Tom Cruise and Britney
is one of the standout features of the SC430,
Spears.
painstakingly designed to deliver the sheer thrill of a top-down spring or summer drive without constantly attacking the coiffure. Tyra Banks loves hers. An all-alloy Quad Cam 4.3 litre VVT-i V8 delivers an inspirational 210kW when the mood takes you. The option-free SC430 is priced at $162,074
stylish convertible for summer and a glamorous hard-top coupe for winter. Best referred to as a “retractable hard-top”, the roof cleverly stows itself in the boot in a totally hands-free operation Mazda MX-5 Who are Tia and Mia? They are the cheeky little cheerleaders in the 2006 animated hit, Cars. In overseas markets, the MX-5 is known as Miata.
Holden Astra Still waiting for its big break in the movies, the Holden (Opel) Astra nevertheless offers the best of both worlds. In top down mode you have a
In many ways, the pint-sized MX-5 has become the modern epitome of an affordable sports car. In a genre once dominated by the likes of MGB and Triumph, the purpose-built, superbly engineered little rocket has created a cult status for itself since introduction way back (can you believe it) in 1989. Cleverly designed to a “timeless” classic line resembling the early Lotus Elan, the MX-5 is everything a fun little roadster should be and with sales of 750 thousand worldwide, it will be with us for a long time yet. True, sales are at their lowest since introduction, but the all-new 2.0 litre third generation MX-5 is just starting to make its presence felt. Grab one for $42,870
In the spirit of the 550, Porsche continue to
upwards.
release sports-orientated, pared down roadsters for the general market. The Boxster range was recently revamped with larger engines and the
Snapshots: Audi TT Roadster
latest Boxster S now totes a mid-engine 3.4 litre
Starring Roles: Mission Impossible 2,
flat six of 217kW giving it real cache among its
Legally Blonde 2
higher priced stablemates like the 911 and 911
Relaunched in June this year, both the
Turbo. Starting money is $108,000 for the 2.7
award-winning 2.0 TFSI and potent 3.2
litre (180kW) Boxster, but if money is no object,
V6 engine, with S tronic transmission, are
the 911 Carrera 4S Cabriolet (3.8 litre, 261kW)
available for Australian buyers, priced at
will set you back $265,100 with Tiptronic
$77,500 and $92,900 respectively.
transmission.
Spider or Spyder? What does it mean? The term so often applied to convertible cars, particularly those of Italian origin, has nothing to do with the common eight-legged, web-weaving arachnid. Ask an Italian to pronounce “spider” and you have “speeder”. True. A cabriolet, like so many car terms, was derived from its horse-drawn equivalent; namely a light, two-wheeled cart with a folding top. Convertible is the interchangeable term more favoured in the American market. A ‘roadster’ is a more basic form of convertible, traditionally a 2-seater without roll-up windows or even a proper roof. A barchetta is an Italian roadster.
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