Top 5 family drop-tops

10th September

Whether it’s a crisp winter’s day or a perfect summer evening, there’s little to touch driving a convertible with the roof lowered. Maybe the only thing to beat this is to take the family along, which means choosing something with more than two seats. There are loads of sports car choices when it comes to picking an open-top classic, but fewer four-seaters. Here are some of our favourites with space for the kids or some friends.

Saab 900

Let’s start with something at the affordable end of the market with the Saab 900. Solid Swedish build quality is a good starting point for picking this four-seat drop top, whether you go for the earlier version that arrived in 1986 or the General Motors era car that pitched up in 1993. Some will always favour the more idiosyncratic pre-GM cars and it’s easy to be lured in by their quirks and the option of a potent 175bhp Turbo version that is a hoot to drive.

Opting for the later model, which morphed in the 9-3 convertible and was a strong rival to the likes of the Audi Cabriolet, BMW 3 Series Convertible, Mercedes CLK and Volvo C70. It may have shared some bits with the Vauxhall Cavalier, but it’s decent to drive, looks good, and Saab quality means there are still plenty around. Reckon on spending just £2,000 for a decent later 900 Cabriolet, or £7,500 for the earlier car with its vestigial rear spoiler behind the passenger compartment.

Mercedes-Benz CE Cabriolet

Launched five years after the first Saab 900 Cabriolet, it’s crazy to think it took Mercedes so long to introduce a convertible version of its sleek CE coupe. While the coupe had been on sale since 1987, the Germans didn’t add the Cabriolet until 1991. However, it was definitely a car worth waiting for as it was built to a standard that even Mercedes diehards reckoned was the firm’s best work. There was a handbuilt feel to the CE Cabriolet that helped to justify its enormous price tag when new which made it a very exclusive, discerning choice.

The other side of this car appealing to a particular type of buyer is few have suffered the ignominy of being run on a budget. Prices have generally remained at a point where even owners at the bottom of the depreciation curve have had the funds to look after them. This makes the CE a superb classic four-seat convertible buy as you can still find decent ones for £12,000. Unusually for such a luxurious car, it came with a manually operated hood as standard, though some will see that as a bonus and one less thing to malfunction. It drives like all Mercedes W124-based cars, so expect more waft than pin sharp handling, but there are fewer more subtle, stylish ways to enjoy the fresh air with chums than a CE Cabriolet.

Triumph Stag

Courtesy Iconic Auctions

In the 1960s, Triumph was looking to get on terms with Mercedes and the German’s sleek SL. Rather than offer a two-seat car, Triumph came up with a four-seat model and called it Stag, which surely ranks as one of the best car names ever. Concerned about possible legislation that would outlaw full-blown convertibles, Triumph used a neat T-bar to strengthen the Stag’s body and add rollover protection. It was a stroke of genius as it also gave the Stag its unique look.

There’s plenty of space in the back of the Triumph for kids or adults, plus a decent boot for holiday trips. The soft-top roof is easy to put up or down by hand, or two people can fit and remove the hard-top that turns the Stag into a snug two-door saloon. Of course, all of this is accompanied by one of the most sweet-sounding V8 engines, which makes the £15,000 to £20,000 needed to bag a Stag seem like a bargain.

VW Golf Cabriolet

Another keen buy is the Volkswagen Golf Cabriolet. While many flock to own a Golf GTI, the Cabriolet has been largely overlooked for years, even when it’s in GTI form. That is changing now and you’ll spend around £7,500 for one in good condition. The great thing about the Golf drop-top is it’s still a superb everyday car and even in its simplest 1.6-litre form it will happily keep pace with modern traffic.

The thickly insulated roof of the Golf Cabriolet puts the likes of the Peugeot 205 CTi and Ford Escort Cabriolet to shame. Lowering it is simple and the back seats are more spacious than many much bigger convertibles thanks to the VW’s front-wheel drive layout. Granted, the boot is tiny and accessed through a postbox of a boot lid, but that’s a small price to pay for such a fine handling, well-made open-top.

Rolls-Royce Corniche

Rounding out our grand tour of four-seat convertibles, we couldn’t resist a little sybaritic indulgence in the wonderful form of the Rolls-Royce Corniche. It was called this from 1971, and previously known as the Silver Shadow Convertible with its graceful body crafted by Mulliner Park Ward. This coachbuilding arm of Rolls-Royce continued making these bodies all the way to the end of the Corniche’s life in 1995. Such a long production run spanning 30 years means there is a small but reasonable selection of the elegant Corniche for sale at any given time. Don’t expect to buy or run one for buttons – you’ll need at least £50,000 to park a sound one in your motor house.

When you do snare a good Corniche, you’ll appreciate the quality long after the price is forgotten. The softness of the leather, lustre of the wood and the gentle but firm acceleration from the huge V8 make any drive a special occasion. With the sheer size of the Corniche, you also get generous rear seat space for your companions and a massive boot, which makes it ideal for a Sunday morning coffee meet. Given the Rolls-Royce’s long-legged credentials, you could easily turn that into a rencontre café in the South of France for the perfect weather to match your four-seat convertible.