What Convertible And Roadster Concepts Do You Wish Reached Production?

Summer is practically right around the corner – if not essentially here for many of you reading this, but drop top fans don’t have much to celebrate as convertibles and roadsters have fallen by the wayside.

While much of the discussion about the carpocalypse has focused on sedans, drop tops have been dropping like flies. The Volkswagen Beetle Convertible has been squashed, while the Eos is a distant memory. The Buick Cascada was dropped in 2019, while the Fiat 124 Spider was killed the following year. Even premium automakers have been dropping convertibles and roadsters as Volvo exited the segment years ago and the Saab 9-3 Convertible died with the Swedish automaker.

Mercedes has also ditched the S-Class Cabrio and the once popular SLK / SLC. Furthermore, the SL and AMG GT Roadster have effectively been merged into one vehicle and that same fate is slated to be repeated with the CLE Cabrio, which is slated to replace both the C- and E-Class convertibles.

QOTD: Which Controversially Styled Car Has Actually Aged Well?

While a number of drop tops remain, including the Mazda MX-5 Miata and the ever popular Ford Mustang, it’s slim pickings compared to previous years. With that in mind, we’re asking our readers which convertible and roadster concepts they wished reached production.

One of the most obvious answers is the Volkswagen BlueSport concept, which was introduced at the 2009 North American International Auto Show. The two-seat roadster still looks great over a decade later and the model would have been an interesting Miata competitor.

While its diesel engine was an oddity, it produced 178 hp (132 kW / 180 PS) and sent power to the rear wheels via a six-speed DSG transmission. This setup enabled the car to accelerate from 0-62 mph (0-100 km/h) in 6.6 seconds, before hitting a top speed of 140 mph (226 km/h).

GM has also turned out a number of interesting convertible and roadster concepts over the years including the 2011 Chevrolet Miray, which we talked about a few months ago. However, one of the real highlights was the 2004 Buick Velite concept, which was rear-wheel drive and looked drop dead gorgeous. It was powered by a twin-turbo 3.6-liter V6 pumping out 400 hp (298 kW / 406 PS) and 400 lb-ft (542 Nm) of torque.

Over at Dodge, the Demon concept was introduced at the 2007 Geneva Motor Show. Billed as a “roadster with an attitude,” the rear-wheel drive Demon was a slick two-seater that weighed approximately 2,600 lbs (1,179 kg) and featured a 2.4-liter four-cylinder engine pumping out 172 hp (128 kW / 174 PS) and 165 lb-ft (224 Nm) of torque.

While those are just a few examples, which roadster or convertible concept do you wish would have gone into production?