TOPLESS TITANS

I should be the type of guy who likes convertibles. I live in Los Angeles, I’m under 30, and—to channel my inner narcissist for a second—my hair flows in the wind shampoo-commercial style.

Yet I can’t get behind the idea of top-down driving. It’s not one reason; it’s a bunch of little ones. Convertibles look ungainly to me with their tops up, and many don’t handle as well as their roofed brethren. And as a worry-wart (thanks, Mom), I’m convinced someone will come along with a switchblade and liberate me of nickels and an iPhone cable.

I’m apparently not the only one cool on convertibles; back during Peak Topless (between 1950 and 1970), American automakers offered at least 33 different convertibles, accounting for nearly 6 percent of new car sales. Nowadays, the Detroit Three offer up a combined five: the Buick Cascada (on death’s door), Chevrolet Camaro, Chevrolet Corvette, Ford Mustang, and Jeep Wrangler/Gladiator. Aside from the Wrangler, the Mustang and Camaro convertibles compose the lion’s share of drop-top sales in the U.S., both through rental fleets and via private owners.

Although it’s clear the convertible’s heyday has passed, a dedicated following obviously still exists. In the