Hoods and trunk lids that go for days were par for the course for full-size American cars of the 1950s, 1960s and 1970s. For that extra dimension of extravagance and silliness, there were full-size convertibles. While proposed rollover regulations were what the Big 3 cited as the reason for discontinuing their convertibles, full-size convertibles had been moribund for years. Today, this format is a historical curiosity and will likely never see a rebirth. Let’s look at the last examples of the breed.
Even in their salad days, convertibles were never the volume leaders. Still, they put up more of a fight against the more sensible coupes, sedans and wagons with which they shared platforms. By their final years, they were generally the least popular option in their lineups, often by some margin. For each entry, you’ll see the volume percentage they accounted for of their respective model ranges as well as what little photographic evidence there was of them in their respective brochures.
1967 AMC Ambassador
Total production: 1814
Percentage of Ambassador volume: 2%
The Abernathy era at American Motors was when the company tried to be all things to all people, including offering a full-size convertible. Available only in top DPL spec and only with V8 engines, the ’67 Ambassador convertible was outsold by everything except the down-market Ambassador 880 2-dr sedan. Even the controversially-styled Marlin outsold the drop-top.
1970 Buick Wildcat
Total production: 1244
Percentage of Buick B-Body volume: 0.49%
The slowest selling full-size Buick of 1970, the Wildcat Custom convertible was outsold almost 6-to-1 by the $800 more expensive Electra convertible and almost 2-to-1 by the $300 cheaper LeSabre convertible. The Wildcat line itself lived in the shadow of its siblings, sporty full-sized cars falling out of fashion in a market that was becoming increasingly enamoured with Broughams. Nevertheless, Buick persisted with a replacement for the Wildcat called Centurion, even including a convertible.
1970 Buick Electra
Total production: 6045
Percentage of Buick C-Body volume: 4.02%
Although the Electra Custom convertible dramatically outsold the Wildcat Custom convertible, it was still very much a niche player in Buick’s full-size lineup. The only other full-size Buicks it outsold were the B-Body LeSabre Custom 455 pillared sedan and coupe – understandable because what Buick buyer was looking for a pillared sedan with the biggest possible engine in 1970?
The Electra convertible sold twice as well as its Ninety-Eight cousin over at Oldsmobile. However, in total division sales, Oldsmobile turned the tables and outsold Buick from 1970 until 1982.
1973 Buick Centurion
Total production: 5739
Percentage of Buick B-Body volume: 2.06%
The ’73 Centurion’s sales numbers look markedly better than the ’70 Wildcat’s but it’s not quite as simple as that. Buick had temporarily retired the LeSabre convertible for 1973, forcing full-size convertible buyers to spend extra on the Centurion. Like the Wildcat before it, the Centurion was merely a LeSabre with slightly different trim and a more powerful base engine. By ’73, that was a Buick 350 with a 4-barrel carbureter although the previously standard 455 remained an option.
The Centurion convertible narrowly outsold the droptop LeSabre in ’71 and ’72, perhaps because the remaining full-size convertible buyers appreciated its sportier image. The fuel crisis and the continuing shift towards plusher, more luxury-focussed models meant the Centurion didn’t survive past 1973. For 1974, there was once again a LeSabre convertible.
1975 Buick LeSabre
Total production: 5300
Percentage of Buick B-Body volume: 4.31%
The last full-size Buick convertible was the ’75 LeSabre Custom. It was outsold by all full-size Buicks bar the two-row Estate and sold only marginally better than its Pontiac Grand Ville cousin. Chevrolet and Oldsmobile sold more B-Body convertibles that year (and more cars in general) but the LeSabre did enjoy a slight uptick from ’74 sales, perhaps buoyed by the public’s awareness that convertibles were going “extinct”. Compared to 1972, the year before the OPEC oil crisis, LeSabre sales had fallen dramatically. Only the convertible bucked that trend.
1970 Cadillac DeVille
Total production: 15,172
Percentage of C/D-Body volume: 7.05%
With 15,172 units sold, the DeVille convertible was the fourth best-selling C-Body variant in Cadillac’s lineup. The DeVille convertible only appears to have died because Cadillac was introducing a convertible Eldorado for 1971 and didn’t want to have any overlap.
1976 Cadillac Eldorado
Total production: 14,000
Percentage of Eldorado volume: 30%
Not all full-size convertibles went out with a whimper. Because of all the publicity about the “death” of convertibles, 1976 ended up being the best year ever for the Eldorado convertible. The coupe still outsold it by more than 2-to-1 but the convertible accounted for a sizeable 30% of total Eldorado volume. Talk about leaving on a high note.
It even got a two-page spread, while most of these full-size convertibles were lucky enough to get a single photo.
1972 Chevrolet Impala
Total production: 6456
Percentage of B-Body volume: 0.63%
Chevrolet rarely broke down the production numbers for Impala convertibles in the 1960s but they surely sold better than the ’72. By 1972, the Impala SS was long gone and the Impala drop-top was outsold by every V8-powered Chevrolet B-Body (six-cylinder models were split out in production totals this year). For 1973, Chevrolet switched the body style to the flagship Caprice line.
1975 Chevrolet Caprice
Total production: 8349
Percentage of B-Body volume: 1.97%
In the swinging sixties, Chevrolet had a raft of drop-tops: the Nova, Corvair, Chevelle, Impala, Camaro and Corvette. The seventies, however, saw the drop-tops drop off – the Chevelle convertible was gone after 1972, leaving only the Corvette and Caprice. Although full-size Chevy sales had suffered a savage blow as a result of the oil crisis, 1975 volumes tracking at less than half of 1972’s numbers, the Caprice convertible did manage to sell fractionally better than the last year of the Impala convertible and it outsold the two fleet-special Bel Air wagons and the Caprice Landau and Impala Landau coupes. By 1976, however, every Chevrolet convertible was gone.
1970 Chrysler Newport
Total production: 1124
Percentage of Chrysler volume: 0.62%
The Chrysler Corporation seemed to have an aversion to high-end convertibles. How else to explain the absence of a Chrysler New Yorker convertible and the presence of a drop-top in the Newport line but not the Newport Custom line? The Newport convertible was the second slowest-selling ’70 Chrysler, accounting for less than 1% of Chrysler division volume. Though the imposing fuselage Chrysler still had a few more years in it, the convertibles were gone after ’70.
1970 Chrysler 300
Total production: 1077
Percentage of Chrysler volume: 0.59%
The only Chrysler to sell worse in 1970 than the Newport convertible was the more expensive 300 convertible. Opting for the 300 meant buyers had to shell out another $500, although the higher list price did include a larger, 440 cubic-inch V8 instead of the Newport’s 383 V8. It included precious little else, however, and the 300’s performance options – including the higher-output TNT 440 V8 and Sure-Grip differential – were all optional on the Newport.
1969 Dodge Monaco
Total production: Unknown
The US never got a convertible version of the Monaco but Canada did until 1969. For that year, Canadian-market convertibles were available in either regular Monaco or Monaco 500 trims; there were no Polara convertibles north of the border. Dodge’s Fuselage convertibles were just as visually enormous as Chrysler’s but the subtle, sweeping contours towards the back were elegant even if the detailing at either end was unexciting.
1970 Dodge Polara
Total production: 842
Percentage of full-size volume: 0.98%
While Canada had the Monaco convertible, the US had the more downmarket Polara, another example of the Chrysler Corporation restricting their full-size convertibles to lower-end trim levels. For the final year of Dodge’s fuselage convertible, there was a new loop-style front bumper, something Chrysler was very fond of at the time. It added some character to the somewhat plain Polara and made the ’70 the best-looking fuselage Dodge convertible. That wasn’t enough to justify its continued sale, however.
1970 Ford XL
Total production: 6348
Percentage of full-size volume: 0.74%
It’s interesting to see which full-size variants were truly unpopular. Anything that was outsold by a convertible by the 1970s was probably not long for this world. In 1970, the XL convertible was the second slowest-selling full-size Ford, the wooden spoon going to the hardtop coupe variant of the low-line Custom 500.
As for the XL, this sporty Galaxie was retired after 1970. Like full-size convertibles, sporty full-size coupes were no longer fashionable. A sport-trimmed full-sized convertible in 1970? Forget about it.
1972 Ford LTD
Total production: 4234
Percentage of full-size volume: 0.5%
With the demise of the XL convertible in 1970, Ford’s full-size convertible switched to the plusher LTD line. Although the LTD was very successful and the market had embraced cars of its ilk, it wasn’t enough to prop up the moribund full-size convertible style. The LTD convertible was easily the worst-selling full-size Ford in 1972. When the LTD was redesigned for 1973, there was no new convertible. With its even paunchier styling, that was no great loss.
1968 Imperial Crown
Total production: 474
Percentage of Imperial volume: 3.08%
Imperial was already a distant third in domestic luxury brand sales, being outsold by Lincoln by more than 2-to-1. In 1968, the slowest selling Imperial by some margin was the Crown convertible. It’s unclear why Chrysler invested in a convertible variant of the new-for-1967, unibody Imperial range but they certainly weren’t willing to invest in a convertible version of the ’69 fuselage-style Imperial.
1967 Lincoln Continental
Total production: 2276
Percentage of Continental volume: 4.98%
Has there ever been a more beautiful and iconic American luxury car than the Continental convertible? It’s unique in offering four doors and yet, despite this and its place in history, it was never a huge seller. For its final season, it was the slowest-selling Lincoln by some margin.
It’s a shame nobody else picked up the mantle of offering a four-door convertible.
1970 Mercury Monterey
Total production: 581
Percentage of full-size volume: 0.39%
Ford and Chrysler both held a much smaller share of the dwindling segment than GM. Mercury’s full-size convertibles were as terminally unpopular as those from each of Chrysler’s three divisions. That mirrors Mercury’s overall weaker foothold in the mid-priced market.
With such dismal sales volumes, Ford saw no point in continuing the full-sized Mercury droptops past 1970 even though the Ford LTD convertible remained available until 1972.
1970 Mercury Marquis
Total production: 1233
Percentage of full-size volume: 0.83%
The ultimate Marquis convertible did eke out one small victory: it outsold the cheaper Monterey convertible and managed to best one other full-size Mercury, the mid-range Monterey Custom hardtop coupe. With its hidden headlights and imposing styling, the Marquis was the closest thing to a Continental convertible in Lincoln-Mercury showrooms in 1970. But the Continental convertible had only been a niche player and had been put out to pasture and, after 1970, the Marquis convertible joined it.
1970 Oldsmobile Ninety-Eight
Total production: 3161
Percentage of 98 volume: 3.29%
Although GM did better in this segment than Ford and Chrysler, 1970 was the last year for C-Body convertibles. Henceforth, full-size convertibles would only be available in the more workaday B-Body ranges. Despite this, 1970 was a year in which the Ninety-Eight outsold its cheaper Delta 88 convertible companion albeit by less than a hundred units. Ninety-Eight sales had mostly coalesced around the sedan by 1970, however, and the convertible was the slowest-selling car in the Ninety-Eight range that year.
1975 Oldsmobile Delta 88
Total production: 7,181
Percentage of Delta 88 volume: 5.35%
Pity the poor Delta 88 convertible. Though it’s been immortalized in countless Sam Raimi films (a ’73, to be precise), it ended production with only a tiny thumbnail of a photo in the ’75 full-size Olds brochure (I’ve used a press photo above, instead). And yet Oldsmobile’s last full-size convertible was the hottest-selling B-Body convertible from GM that year. With 7,181 units produced, the Royale convertible outsold the two-row Custom Cruiser and came within striking distance of the base Delta 88 hardtop sedan and coupe.
1970 Plymouth Fury
Total production: 1952
Percentage of Fury volume: 0.74%
Although the final year of the full-size Plymouth convertible was a slow seller, it outsold every other Plymouth convertible: the Satellite, Road Runner, Barracuda, ‘Cuda and Barracuda Gran Coupe convertibles. The drop-top Fury was available only in Fury III trim, skipping the lower-rung I and II trims but also avoiding the new, luxurious Gran Coupe trim and the Sport Fury. It makes one wonder: just who were buyers of full-size convertibles? Whoever they were, there weren’t many left by 1970 – the Fury III convertible was outsold by every other Fury variant.
1972 Pontiac Catalina
Total production: 2399
Percentage of B-Body Pontiac volume: 0.70%
For 1972, Pontiac’s full-size convertible was available only in the entry-level Catalina and flagship Grand Ville lines, skipping the mid-range Catalina Brougham and Bonneville entirely. Not that they would have represented many sales – the Catalina convertible was outsold by all full-size Pontiacs except the Grand Ville convertible. Although GM’s C-Body convertibles were all gone by ’72, each division with a full-size convertible was transitioning to offering it only in top-spec trim (e.g. LeSabre Custom, Delta 88 Royale). By ’73, Chevrolet’s convertible switched from the Impala to the Caprice and the Pontiac Catalina convertible was dead.
1975 Pontiac Grand Ville
Total produced: 4519
Percentage of B-Body Pontiac volume: 3.57%
The final full-size Pontiac convertible was outsold by all full-size Pontiacs except the two-row Catalina Safari and two- and three-row Bonneville Safaris. That arguably speaks more to Pontiac’s weakness in the full-size wagon segment more so than the convertible’s sales prowess. Much as Pontiac’s full-size models consistently sold in lower volumes than their rival divisions’ counterparts, the Grand Ville was the slowest-selling B-Body convertible that year albeit not by as wide a margin as you might think. With its handsome coke-bottle contours and modern detailing, the Grand Ville was arguably the most elegant of all the B-Bodies in ’75 and a marked improvement over earlier years of this series.
Full-size convertibles may never have enjoyed the soaring popularity of their coupe and sedan counterparts but their marginal popularity had almost entirely evaporated by the 1970s. The much-publicized “death” of convertibles may have proved to be a false prediction but the full-size convertible never reappeared alongside its smaller brethren. And it probably never will.
Related Reading:
Curbside Classic: 1973 Pontiac Grand Ville Convertible – The Lady in Waiting
Curbside Classic: 1972 Oldsmobile Delta 88 Royale Convertible – Practical Impracticality
Car Show Classic: 1966-67 Lincoln Continental Convertible – End Of An Era
Curbside Classic: 1966 Mercury Monterey Convertible – Geometry Class
Did they give that Catalina pillared sedan dog dishes to make the hardtop and convertible more attractive?
Extravagant? Maybe a little, but no more so than any big US “strassencruzer” of the era. Silly? No, they were great parade cars, a great perch for that gorgeous homecoming Queen and unbeatable for taking 5 or 6 close friends out for a top-down summer cruise. For those who love life, few things could be could be better. We had 2, a ’65 Olds Dynamic 88 (red of course) and ’70 Fury III. Both were a lot of fun… no regrets here!
Even if they held on a bit longer, I think downsizing would have killed the full-sized convertible. Those old pre-downsized had a lot of wasted space, but were big enough that they were still pretty roomy. For the most part, the convertible top folded down into that mostly-wasted space above the rear axle. It would usually take out a bit of shoulder room in the back seat, although later designs, like the fuselage Mopars and GM’s ’71 big cars, didn’t have that problem. As a point of reference, I have a ’67 Pontiac Catalina convertible, and while it does lose a bit of shoulder room in the back seat and trunk space, it doesn’t seem like it gives up much, in comparison to the hardtop coupe.
But with the downsized cars, one way they were able to maintain or even increase legroom, compared to the older cars, was to push the back seat rearward, between the wheel openings, and use up some of that otherwise wasted space. Worse, the roofs of the downsized cars were longer and taller than the older cars, so there would have been more top to stow, but less area for it to retract into. I also imagine having roll down rear quarter windows would have been a problem, as there just wasn’t much space between the door opening and the rear wheel cutout. So any roll-down window would have been extremely small. Or, I guess they could have just done away with a roll-down window completely? I’ve seen some convertible conversions like that, such as a ’75 or so Cordoba, and an early 80’s Monte Carlo.
I would take any of these cars! The 67 Continental convertible with the suicide doors is one of my dream cars though.
My uncle – a life-long GM guy, and a convertible guy on top (so to speak) of that – bought a 1973 Centurion, believing that it was the last of the breed. I know that he loved that car (it kind of outlived him), but I don’t recall ever asking him what he thought about how he might coulda bought a LeSabre, a Cadillac, or even an Impala after his “end of the line” Centurion.
I will say that open-top cruising in one of these full-sized convertibles is an experience that I’ve not had met by any other automotive encounter. If you’ve not done it, it’s kind of like sitting in your living room, with the open sky above you, and having that glide effortlessly through city streets. (I’ve only done this in urban areas) On a temperate evening, with a couple of good friends, and maybe some nice tunes on the radio/stereo, it’s incomparable.
I’m not sure that makes up for the various downsides associated with a gigantic, wobbly, fuel-hungry, leaky vehicle the other 10 or 11 months of the year. But oh for a little while, it’s glorious.
Interesting wording in the Eldorado brochure. It’s almost as if Cadillac’s lawyers were by the copywriters’ side as they wrote this, making sure they didn’t make any promises they might not keep. “It is the only convertible now built in America — and it will not be repeated in 1977”. Doesn’t say anything about 1978, does it?… Or 1983…
I know the Pontiac Grand Ville hardtop sedans had a stretched wheelbase compared to other B bodies (at least the first couple of years) – did that extend to the convertible as well? Where did the extra space go?
Was there any advance publicity regarding ’75 being the last year for the B body convertibles? If so, it didn’t seem to juice sales. I wonder if buyers assumed the droptops would return one final year for what by then was known to be the last year for most pre-downsized big GM cars in ’76.
Comparing sales of the Custom 500 2-door hardtop to the XL convert was not an apt one.
The former was sold in Canada only, a market 1/10th the size. As for being not long for the world, it lasted at least until 1978 in Canada.
Also, as a point of interest, the XL’s buckets and console were an option on ’71 LTD convertibles. After that, the setup was sent south of the border to Mexico, where the bucket and console option remained on thier LTDs to about 1977 or so.
My dad and I took a basket case 1970 Olds 98 convertible as partial payment for a job we had completed. We fixed it up, but did not restore it; we quickly found out that this was a rare, but not (monetarily) valuable, vehicle and parts were unobtainium, so we had to improvise window switches, motors, etc. My dad grew up on a ranch during the Depression, so “farm fixin” was nothing new. She got an inexpensive lemon yellow paint job and a decent convertible top with a glass window, vinyl upholstery, all white. We live in the desert SW, so top down cruising in the summer comes with sunburn, but it didn’t bother us a bit. The 455 was thirsty, but reliable, and we had a lot of fun. My dad was an Olds man, his only exception being a ’63 Impala SS that brought me from the hospital after being born. This was his only convertible. He passed in 2005, and soon after, I sold it to a person who bought old US land yachts to resell in Australia. I didn’t get a bunch of cash for it, but I banked more great memories than any six-figure auction sale could buy. I hope it’s still out there bombing around, making smiles.
Even when I was growing up in the 1980s, I considered these full-size convertibles to be a historical curiosity. At the time, convertibles seemed to be either antique-type cars, or modern sports cars… but these big barges occupied a territory in between those two. I still find these last big convertibles fascinating.
The last one of its ilk that I’ve seen on the roads was this ’72 LTD that I saw about two years ago. I’d love to catch up with this car while parked some time:
Only knew one convertible owner growing up, a neighbor owning a 1962 Olds 88. Bright red with the optional Skyrocket engine. Rode in it a few times and it was a cool experience. Was replaced in 1966 with a new Oldsmobile Delta 88 coupe. Did the convertible tops ever need to be replaced? I would think that would be an expensive proposition. I recall that the plastic rear windows would fog and discolor after a few years. Used convertibles must have been a hard sell.
Yes, convertible tops (and vinyl rear windows) needed replacements. Most of these later-generation large convertibles had glass rear windows (like a good VW Beetle or Karman Ghia, who really knew how to do convertible tops!)
Convertibles were noisier, including more wind noise, and more prone to water leaks…like I would never have taken one through a car wash! I think insurance was a bit costlier, and of course, the convertible tops were prone to vandalism, too.
We always had convertible growing up so when they announced they weren’t making them anymore, we looked at the Chevy, Pontiac and Buick. ( my Dad was not a Cadillac guy) and decided we liiked the Olds the best. Ordered. a Delta Royale, with the 350, power windows, tinted glass, sport mirors, posi, wire wheel hubcaps, am/fm radio, floor mats,silver with Cranberry interior. It was his daily driver but I was the first. to drive it home from the dealer.
Fast forward to 1982, he had suffered a stroke and couldn’t drive any more. It happened to be the year I was getting married and my Mom kept asking me what I wanted as a wedding gift. Since we already had 2 apartments, asked her about the Olds. Too big and she already had her own ‘73 Camaro, I grabbed the chance.
It needed bodywork but was able to gather NOS body parts and my wife decided On white since GM was not exactly known for the quality of its silver.
To make a long story short I am proud to say, I still have my wife and the car which will go to our son who grew up with what he called “””Dead Gramps’ car.
I’ve owned three convertibles in my life. A ’66 Olds Cutlass, a 74 Fiat 124 and an ’89 Fort Mustang LX. They were all a happy experience even without a nearby lake.
I believe a Rolls-Royce Corniche convertible is also a ‘full-size’ car, being close to the Ambassador DPL for size, which lasted well into the 1980’s and was always available in North America. The other full-size car, but never marketed in North America is the Zil 114 & 117 convertibles in limited numbers.
Those last Buick leSabre covertibles had the nice hard ‘parade boot’ cover for the folded top, as did the final El Dorado convertibles.
I had a wealthy uncle who bought one of the last ’76 El Dorado convertibles, and then, somehow, had a Rolls Royce engine installed in it! So, if anyone ever comes upon a ’76 El Dorado with a Rolls engine, the original owner was C. Robert Allen III
(I’m guessing that a Rolls engine probably did bolt up to the GM transaxle, because Rolls used Turbo Hydramatic 400’s, IIRC.
I thought putting a 200 Six in a Marquis Brougham took the cake, but this!
The GrandVille was a B body with the C body roof (2dr/4dr). The Centurion was a Riviera in LeSabre clothes sans hood venti-ports. The Cutlass Supreme had the Grand Prix/Monte Carlo roof but without the 4~6 inch stretch in the hood/wheel-base in front of the cowl. The Regal did this when the Colonnades were introduced.
The 1971 and 1972 Bonneville and Grand Ville coupes and sedans had the C body wheelbase, not the B body. All Pontiac convertibles were on the B body wheelbase.
The Bonneville had the B style roof. The Grand Ville had the C body roof.
The longer rear doors were shared with the Pontiac wagon. All of the clamshell wagons used longer C body rear doors, except that all of the wagons used window frames instead of hardtop style glass. Chevy wagons had a rear door with no sedan equivalent.
My dad’s best friend in high school got into real estate in the Hill Country and central Texas, after college. I remember he’d get an old house and fix it up(or pay others to) and he must’ve made some $$ because he usually had a pretty new Cadillac. He would come visit from time to time, and take Mom, Dad and I to eat seafood at a nice restaurant on the Coast. We went to Jimmie Walker’s a few times, then other places in Kemah or Galveston. He had a few Eldorado convertibles, I remember at least two different white ’71s with acres of red leather inside. Plenty of room in the back seat for Mom and I, while the guys were plenty comfy in the big bucket seats up front. I remember one time we met this friend in New Braunfels and he took us up in the hills to show us a new development that was going in, that he had a part in. The ride was thrilling and a little bit scary; when all you see past that long white hood and the wreath and crest hood ornament, is sky, on those twisty, narrow roads…. But we floated along, and everything was fine.
1964 Buick Skylark convertible! Best car our little family ever had. Not full sized, but big enough, and beautiful!