New luxurious convertibles ready to hit the road
Luxurious convertibles are ready to hit the roads, pairing up perfectly with Southern California's weather.
By now you might be used to seeing the latest Chevy Corvette on the road, the new mid-engine Stingray. Now get used to seeing the convertible version.
Convertibles have been a part of Corvette's long history since the very beginning.
Though you might not even notice that it's a convertible when its top is up. For the first time, the drop-top Vette gets a retractable hardtop. The assembly stows nice and tidy in 16 seconds at the push of a button, even while moving at lower speeds.
In comparison to other mid-engine high-power sports cars, the Corvette convertible is a bit of a bargain with a base price of $66,400.
Lexus' hottest model is now going al fresco too. The new LC500 Convertible takes the sleek design of the coupe and becomes an almost-as-sleek four-seat open-air luxury sports car.
While enjoying fun in the sun, the driver can also enjoy the mechanical music from the powerful V8 engine and the tech-laden interior.
Both of those are shared with the hardtop model, though the convertible is more expensive, starting with a six-figure price tag of $101,000.
Want something undeniably British for fun in the sun? Jaguar made a few tweaks to its stunning F-Type convertible for 2021 to help it stay fresh. Powerful elegance, as always, but with updated infotainment, along with a few styling tweaks, for a base price of $64,700.
None of these cars are going to sell in huge numbers because convertibles just don't do as well in the marketplace as they used to.
However, they serve another purpose for their makers, as a showroom traffic-builder, and a "halo" vehicle for the entire line.
Though in some cases, a convertible is indelibly linked to a car's DNA. Just out is the open-air version of Porsche's latest 911 model.
Performance and style, as always, in Porsche's unique way, starting at $112,000.
For all traditional driving enthusiasts, the gears can be shifted in the Carrera S model if a seven-speed manual is chosen.
The price tag still climbs quite a bit for the more powerful car with the stick shift, try $127,000 or so before options.
It's not necessarily always convertible weather in Southern California, but when it is, these dream drop-tops can make that weather part of the driving experience, with style.
