Simple question: if a car is available in both coupe or convertible body styles, and the price difference isn’t an issue, which do you choose?
Take the Ferrari F8 Tributo and its F8 Spider sister, or the McLaren 720S Coupe and Spider. All four are hugely desirable cars, and there are no major mechanical differences between the coupe and roadster versions of each model. But people tend to get really tribal over what’s located over their heads when behind the wheel.
Some car journalists tend to get a bit snooty about convertibles, particularly when talking about driver’s cars. And there’s logic to their criticisms, even if they arguably lend far too much importance to them. Convertible versions of cars conceived primarily as hardtops are almost always heavier and bendier than their hardtop siblings. And that means they’re usually a little slower, a little less agile, and don’t deliver quite the same steering response.
Drive a 2000s E46 3-Series coupe and convertible, or a Maserati Coupe and Spyder of the same vintage, back to back and the open-roof cars’ lack of structural rigidity is pretty shocking, though that’s not really a problem on something liken the McLaren 720S, which is built around a stiff carbon tub.
Related: Is There A Place For A Convertible Nissan Z In This Market?
But even a wobbly, slower convertible delivers an experience that you don’t get in a coupe. There’s the sensation of being open to the elements, seeing the trees and clouds whir by, not just through the side windows, but over your head. There’s the exposure to the sounds and smells of the outside world that make you feel more connected with both the terrain you’re carving through, and the car you’re using to do that carving.
You might hear more exhaust music, hear the tires chirp on those upshifts or when pushing hard through curves, and you might consider that kind of sensory experience is easily worth an extra tenth or two on the way to 60 mph (96 km/h). But you might also decide that it isn’t.
So, coupe or convertible, which camp are you in, and why? Leave a comment and let us know.
