The Original Hardtops

[Anthony Foster <monkeypuzzle1@xxxxxxx>]

Bill B. and All;

 Are you sure that the four door hardtop started with the G.M line-up in 1955? I remember seeing a 1954 Olds Rocket 88  that was a four door hardtop in a storage compound. Actually the,"hardtop", is a much older concept in roof design then 1946. In the early 20's Studebaker had a body style with what they called a,"Duplex Top", which looked very similar to a hardtop roof. The idea was actually to offer an inexpensive  compromise between a sedan and a drop top car.

 In those days closed cars were much more expensive then rag top cars because of the labour and materials involved in not only building the roof structure but in constructing the upper halves of the doors above the belt line and the extra  windows . A duplex top had a hard roof like a sedan but had removable window frames making them much cheaper to build. In fact, with the side windows out, it looked like a four door hardtop. 

 A newer example, although not an American car, was in the Peugeot 402 series in 1937. There was a model called the, "Eclipse", that had a retractable metal roof that stowed away into the trunk. With the roof up it looked just like a two door hardtop and the window frames rolled down with the glass just like the 1950's ones. The Eclipse also had a back seat like its American successors. I suppose this car would be the most honest example of a Hardtop Convertible with the exception of the 1957 Ford Skyliner.

Best Regards

Arran Foster

1954 Imperial Newport

Needing A Left Side Taillight Bezel and othe trim parts.

 

----- Original Message -----

From: TheCarNutz@xxxxxxx

To: mailing-list@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

Sent: Tuesday, March 05, 2002 2:01 PM

Subject: Re: IML: The term "hardtop"

In a message dated 3/5/02 9:00:23 AM Pacific Standard Time, gimpineer@xxxxxxxx writes:

Being just older than dirt, I was around when "Hardtops" were introduced.
D^2 is correct.  This was a new concept, at last for the major car
makers.
Previously only convertibles had an unobstructed window opening from
front to rear.
If I remember correctly, Willys Aero had the first one in 1952. 

You're absolutely correct,  as I am also getting to be one of those "old guys over there."  I was in my teens in the 50's and saw all those great new cars.  Actually the first "hardtop convertible" was the 2 door 1949 Buick Riviera, and was so named because it looked like a convertible but with a steel top, and no post between the front & rear, and the drivers door window was just like the convertible with the chrome around the glass.  And as previously mentioned, in 1955 GM introduced the "4 door hardtop," which again eliminated the post between the front & rear door area.  Probably some of the rarest Chrysler products found today are the "50's" 4 door hardtops, and my 57 Imperial Southampton is certainly one of them.
                                                                   Bill B.