Convertibles: History And Evolution Of Dream Cars

Description: The convertible has always symbolized fun and a free-spirit. Stunning photographs characterize this look at the "plein air' from 1888 through today's sleek models. With its informative text, fascinating historical testimony and extraordinary color photographs, this book explores the history of open top cars. The volume is divided into two sections. The first section gives a chronological and geographical history of the open-topped car’s development. Chapters and sub-chapters discuss the most important eras in the evolution of the design of open-topped cars; their invention and early years at the beginning of the century, the Roaring Twenties; the Gran Turismo models used for racing and amusing the young and rich; the enormous convertibles through the 1930s and 40s that resulted in the extravagances of the American convertibles of the 1950s and 60s; the ‘dolce vita’ of the elegant Italian, British and German sports cars; the small, post-recession open tops; today’s production models worldwide and the futuristic prototypes to be seen in the current batch of motor shows. The section is richly documented with over 400 models discussed, illustrated