Driving Topless
 

...for you married Targa and Cab drivers!

Topless driving drives men to the dogs
By Doug McIntyre, Columnist

Nothing says summer in Southern California like a top-down cruise along the beach with the wind whipping though your hair, unless it's the wind whipping through HER hair.

You see it in commercials and movie montages all the time: a young couple in love, laughing as the sun glints off their Ray-Bans and blindingly-white, orthodontically-perfect teeth.

Of course these days the guys driving convertibles in TV ads tend to be silver- haired gents with bladder issues, but the dream is still the dream.

The dream of the open road, freedom! With nothing between you and the heavens!

But let me blow the cover off this mass-marketed myth: Girls don't like riding in convertibles.

At least not after you marry them.

I drive a convertible, an 8-year-old Ford with 80,000 miles. I bought it to indulge my own Southern California fantasies, and no surprise here -- it hasn't worked out.

For starters, I'm too pale to drive top down in this latitude. The first traffic jam or long red light and my dead-fish, belly-white pasty flesh begins to sizzle like sausage patties on a griddle.

This is actually my second stab at a California convertible. My first, also a Ford, was 22 years old when I pushed it west from New York in December 1985.

Most of it made it here.

I lost a couple of tires along the way, as well as a water pump, thermostat and the radiator, but the real fun began in Grants, N.M., when the gas tank
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ruptured, resulting in a six-hour layover while I tracked down a replacement tank from a local junkyard.

If you've ever wondered how long six hours can be, try cooling your heels for that long in Grants, N.M.

But eventually, that old Ford made the climb over the San Bernardino Mountains, and I was ready to soak up that California sun.

Until I actually experienced the California sun.

With a beet-red farmer's tan on my arms and neck, and sweat pooling in big, dark half-oval pit stains on my shirt, I began to question why my convertible didn't seem as much fun as those convertibles in the movies.

But a convertible is a chick magnet, right?

Well, they are until the "I do's" are said.

"Could you put the top up?" asks The Wife. But only when she isn't asking, "You're not going to put the top down, are you?"

And as every husband knows, she's not really asking.

Even when I point out how lovely Fritz says it's going to be, she still slams the door on the fingers of my PCH beach- cruising dream with the unrebuttable, "It'll mess my hair."

Women will indulge their boyfriends by riding with the top down about as long as men are willing to dance with their girlfriends -- just long enough to seal the deal. Once you're husband and wife that convertible is about as welcome as that photo album you keep in the garage with Polaroids of ex-girlfriends.

So let me offer the following advice for the married man who still dreams of racing top-down along PCH with his loved one's wind-swept hair blowing in the breeze:

Buy a dog.

that is so funny.

well done.

It takes a different breed to drive a convertible with the top down.

When I met my wife, we were both coming off divorces. She wanted a Targa; never owned a Porsche before. I wanted a new truck. We each got what we desired. She had her top off more than on like in her younger days with a '67 Austin Healey. Probably never did have the top up on the Healey.

I drove around in the truck nice and cool. You know the A/C in 911s up to the 964 series sucks, right? Fast forward a bit and she's driving a '67 VW convert. What's with the '67's? Finally all the converts go and she has a sedan. Actually a '96 Impala Super Sport. Got within a month or 2 or paying that off and it's gone. What's next?

A '62 356 B non sunroof coupe. Not a hint of A/C in that skate. 1 year and that's gone. My choice that time. So, eventually she returns to her roots. Well, in cars anyway. She won't let me see her gray hair. It gets colors that only come on expensive dogs whose hair drags on the floor when standing up.

Yes, a Boxster. Seems like the logical answer: a Porsche and a convertible...with good A/C. So there we are.

Except she likes that Jaguar of a sedan that I got in place of my Carrera. Windows up and cold A/C.

I told her.

Balderdash!!!!! This is backwards thinking. If anything, I would be MORE likely to ride with the top down after I got married or with a gentleman for a long time. At the beginning, I would want to look good, pristine, hot. By the time we're married, he's seen me after a romp in the hay, my hair all mussed up, makeup all askew so what if I care if the top down messes up my hair?

Besides, forget him. I will get my own Targa. ;). Then he'll be the one that has to decide whether or not he wants to ride with me because I WILL have the top down.

I'm with Tweezer. My Targa never has the top on unless the temp gets below 40. Of course here that happens 1-2 weeks a year. I love convertibles. The next one I want is a c1 corvette roadster. Top will always be down.

My Boxster is actually my wife's, it was a replacement for her Miata. She loves the top down

I really think it depends on the chick. As for the ones who posted here, and for myself as well, top down unless it is actively raining!!

I've put about 12,000 miles on this and it has no top whatsoever. Including one 2,500 mile jaunt.

angela

p.s. - sunscreen SPF bazillion...

http://forums.pelicanparts.com/uploa...1341274515.jpg

It is a personal preference. Even without the wife I would keep the top up. Why? Even with the windblocker there is buffeting which is annoying especially with hiway driving. Only when it is really hot would I consider putting the top down.

Angela! That picture is beautiful. Love it!

Angela, this shot would make a great shirt with a 1 shopped in front of the 25! you take the best pics!

When I had my Targa, whether it was 95 or 25, the top was off, except in situations like this.

http://forums.pelicanparts.com/uploa...1341275905.jpg

I knew topless meant car top, but I still clicked on the thread with the hope that just this one time...

My 930 or S2000's top never come down. They both ended right on my lap. The bikini top was always there on my old Jeep. I can deal with no doors, but no top will fry my fat azz. Bicycle riding is another story, but sitting in traffic is no fun during the summer months. My wife will drive the S2000 once in a while during Winter, Spring, or Fall but never in the summer.

I can remember being young , wild and free, and having just broke up with my gf of 5 years, I conned a buddy to go on a 2 week surfing / skirt chasing expedition to the beach. We took the roof off my ratty old 85 corvette, strapped the surfboards across the top , and headed for the Carlolinas. We were so studly, that we did not need no stinkin' roof panel, the vette was beat up and ratty, I was pissed off at life, and I really did not care if it got rained in. I have never been sunburned so badly before in my entire life. Mostly just our faces and arms, but holy cow. We ended up doing our return drive home at night just to avoid cooking ourselves.

I agree.

My ex wife hated my Jeep, especially with the top off. I have found girls that tolerate riding in the convertible, but none that love it. When giving friends rides, most girls consistently ask to take the Porsche, most guys want to take the Jeep.

http://i299.photobucket.com/albums/m...2/DSCN0563.jpg

Either look way fun to me! I loved jeeps growing up...

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Being the luckiest guy in the world, my wife loves riding topless, nat. To wit, the top has only been up with her in it a couple times in 8 years. Even less with just me. It's practically a crime to have the top up on a cab :)

http://forums.pelicanparts.com/uploa...1341285998.jpg

I know, I'm a smug aresehole. At least I'm not wearing white sunglasses.

Whoa, motion posted a photo with no motorcycles in it! :eek:

My wife wanted a convertible for a new car. I knew in my heart she would never put the top down if she had one, so I got her to compromise & got a car with a sun roof. It's very nice, lets in lots of light, no buffeting or intrusive wind - just nice air circulation. I always open it when we go somewhere. Today I asked her as she was going somewhere when was the last time she opened the sunroof when she was by herself. Her answer was that she didn't remember. At least I get to enjoy it, and she usually keeps quiet about it.

P.S. Motion, that's a great pic.

Summer before last I had to run up to Pittsburgh, it was late july. I dropped the top on the Boxster and off I went. My forehead was so sun and wind burnt it actually make crinkeling noises if I tried to raise my eyebrows.

Converts..........
 

My wife actually likes riding in a convetible with the (car's) top down. Shortly after we were married, I bought her a 1971 Torino GT convetible that she really liked. Later on we had a Corvair Corsa Convertible that was great for riding around in with the (car's) top down looking at Christmas lights. As far as the hair getting mussed up, she simply kept a scarf in the cars. No problem.

yup, actually keep a scarf and the cloth covered, giant rubber bands for pony tails like that in the car, always, spare baseball cap and high number sunscreen too

If the top was up on any convertible I have had since we got married, and my wife was going, she would start putting the top down before she would get in it. I don't believe she has even ridden in my miata with the top up, and I have had it a year.

The guy in the original article makes two mistakes. He should stay away from Mustangs, and start dating less high maintenance women.

great pic, she's a stunner as well: good job! :)

It's one thing to take a leisurely cruise. It's another to be headed somewhere where you need to look good when you get there.

I've owned several convertibles that sit in the garage with the top down, all the time. If the weather is nice, with no chance of rain, I'll take it that day. If not, it sits.

My girlfriend has very long blonde hair. She rides motorcycles. She likes fast boats (worse on your hair than any car). She likes convertibles. She just ties it all up tight and lets it down when she gets where she's going. It actually looks better with the kinks and curls it gets that way. She's a keeper.

Funny opening thread and great posts. Well in my single years, the old Mustang always had the top down from early Spring to November in Chicago. New car and 'hell yes' its just another POS Ford but one of the most could care less fun to own. Kept it down but often with the windows up and the heat on during those crispy 40 degree temps and loved it. It also got its share of rain.

But my goodness that car was a chick magnet... crazy girls... fun, fun, fun. Nobody worried about their do. With the top down, it was ridiculous. I recall once being at an intersection having a fine looking gal (out of the select gene pool) asking...more like demanding a ride as she said called for a Taxi and my first thoughts were, it might be a prostitute sting. Although she wasn't primped like a hooker I gave her an attitude and replied, do I look like the typical cabbie in Chicago? She said I looked safe and just jumped in! And yes, her top came down too. So you west coasters have the twisty scenery but Chicago has a windy Sheridan and Lake Shore drive and those summer nights with the top down does something to the ladies. No need to explain further and I plead all my mis-behavin' on that car.

Also in downtown Chicago and during the summer, I'd leave the top down parked outside even during the nights and nobody ever messed with that car. I figured if their going to slice the top, you might as well leave it all open. These days and with hardtop vehicles, I've been keyed, doors dented from @ssholes kicking, etc. go figure...

I think that's the point right there. If they have long hair and want to look "just right" at the destination, then the (my) top stays on.

Some truth to the article, but as pointed out a lot depends on the individuals involved.

They say that the eyes are the windows to the soul....and those eyes are sayin what is that fool up to now?

Convertibles are only fun with the top down, so that's the way I drive mine. Being this far north, I don't get to drive it often.

There are two types of people: those who love the wind in their hair and those who seriously evaluate death as an alternative to driving with the top down. I love the wind in my hair. In my experience, about half of the male population are like me and about one in ten women.

Once soon after I first got my car we had some people over and I took three of the wives for a run with the top down. I took them around the block (so far so good) and then to the on-ramp to a local highway to give them the full experience. I stopped at the bottom of the ramp, waited for traffic to clear, and sarted a spirited run up the ramp. I hit about 60 (the speed limit) by the time we hit the top of the ramp, merged into traffic, took the next exit and pottered back to the house.

The reactions of the three women were interesting and relevant to our discussion here. Two of the women immediately began screaming and pleading to stop, practically crying that they were terrified. If they weren't strapped in i would have worried that they were in danger of jumping out of the car from fear.

The third was leaning back in her seat, letting the G forces push her back as she went "Hummmmm......."

Yay!!!
 

Yay!!!!!

Sometimes choosing is half the fun...:rolleyes:


http://forums.pelicanparts.com/uploa...1341689239.jpg

When I had my mustang convertible I collected quite a few baseball caps:) Always the top down! Now I'm looking forward to the completion of our 911 targa. Ponytail or more caps? Hmmm!

Maybe your definition of really hot and mine are different. Having the top down here in Houston when it's "really hot" is a miserable experience. I mostly put the top down at night or early morning, and the rare, perfect fall/spring day.

yeah, I don't want to broil, so my top is mostly up.

I'm not a topless diehard. Actually, I'd be just as happy with a coupe, but I do enjoy it on the rare occasions when the weather is right. I'm on my thirteenth year of top-down cars, '88 targa, '97 miata, '04 mazdaspeed miata.

I can't stand convertibles, other than on a perfect evening with no freeway driving involved. Living in SoCal and having pale, Irish skin, the sun is ever-present and I'm always ducking out of it. Don't get me wrong; the sun is beautiful and I appreciate the great light here, but my skin can't handle it. End of story. I get WAY too much of it just living my life here.

When I was young, I worshipped the sun and roasted quite a bit. Skiing in Colorado in the spring, sailing and windsurfing or waterskiing all summer, or just laying out. A big part of that was growing up in a place where the warm sun is a very finite resource and people chase it when they can. In Los Angeles, it's the most infinite thing there is and it will kill you if you're stupid with it. I have a 35 y.o. friend who had a melanoma removed last year. He is as pale as they come and grew up on a farm in the central valley with his shirt off.

I love the climate and the light but I'm usually looking at it from under cover, either the roof of a car or an outdoor table in the shade. I went to a pool party/BBQ last weekend and everyone was quietly complaining about the lack of shady area that most people have around a pool, (canopy or the like).

Different strokes for different folks, it really depends on where you live.

^ and there you have it.

In L.A. if you drive around with the top down during the day you will be filthy in an hour. Not too bad at 6am in the warm part of the year and you don't have to worry much about the sun. I refuse to wear any kind of hat, so I'm a bit like Denis with regard to the sun. And I have Gaelic skin according to the dermie.

Filthy within an hour? :confused:

Haven't experienced that driving around with the windows down everyday. Even in downtown L.A., where these pics were taken last weekend: :cool:


http://forums.pelicanparts.com/uploa...1341698838.jpg
http://forums.pelicanparts.com/uploa...1341698887.jpg

and this gentlemen, is how you weed out women, being the car enthusiasts you are. The one left standing and actually enjoying the ride is the one to keep. :)