More sun in your life
02/24/2023
Of course, in the sixties and seventies there was certainly a range of factory convertibles, but the car manufacturers did not offer an open-top version of some car types, at least not officially. That's when coachbuilders stepped into the breach.
Several such rarities can be seen at Retro Classics in Stuttgart. During our tour, for example, we came across a 1969 Ford Capri Cabriolet that was once converted by the Karl Deutsch company. It is estimated that 40 Capris were converted. The car on display with a 2.3-liter V6 engine is one of around a dozen surviving examples. And before it could be counted among the survivors, a great deal of effort and expense was required, as the car had stood outside with a farmer for 15 years before the restoration.
Deutsch also built convertible versions of the Ford Taunus 17M P3. The 1.7-liter shown at the club was even equipped with disc brakes and individual front seats.
The BMW E9 (2.8 CS to 3.0 CSL) also had to make do without a convertible version ex works. Dreschel converted eight coupés into convertibles. The car on display, built in 1973, has a 3.5-liter inline six-cylinder engine and is said to have an extraordinary history.
In our view, however, the most surprising and at the same time very harmonious convertible transformation was a Volvo P1800, which was converted along the lines of the Radford conversions of the time, which were produced around 25 times for the US-NY agency Volvoville from 1965 onwards. The work was complex and the left-hand drive one-off ended up costing a six-figure sum. But the result is impressive (picture above).
We also saw a Ferrari 400i converted into a convertible, some of which we may not have noticed in the huge range of vehicles on offer in Stuttgart. If you would like to take a look for yourself, the 22nd Retro Classics Stuttgart is still open until Sunday, February 26, 2023.
P.S. We will of course be publishing a complete review of the 22nd Retro Classics Stuttgart in a few days' time.
