From: Christopher Hoffman <imperial67@xxxxxxxxxxxxx>
Date: Mon, 17 Jun 2002 07:13:32 -0700
gimpineer@xxxxxxxx wrote:
> In other words, a "Hardtop" has no "B" pillar in a 2-door and only the lower
> half of one on a 4-door.
Pretty close!. The first of these in the modern era came out in 1949: three
midyear models from GM. They were in essence convertibles with steel tops
welded on. Four-door models arrived a few years later, and by then the cars
were designed as hardtops, not retrofitted convertibles. There are similar
pillarless top designs, however, dating to 1916...
Hardtops and sedans, with 2 and 4 doors, all have B-pillars, as this is what
the door lock (latch) attaches to. It's just that in the hardtops, they do
not visibly extend above the windowline, and are thus partial B-pillars.
And, to the original question, the removable rigid roof you can put on some
convertibles is also called a hardtop.
Chris in LA
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