Convertibles disappeared in North America with the last 1976 Cadillac Eldorado.
Purists will point out they kept building convertibles in other countries and Detroit brought them back in the 80s, but in ’76 the Eldo was the last one built in North America.
Officially, that was the party line from the Big Three, but history tells a different story about domestic convertibles—here are five examples.
The second Gen Camaro debuted in 1970, and the convertible version was an instant casualty. That was a mistake, because the 1970-73 Camaros were a work of art with their clean, European-like front grill treatment and 70s lines that gave the Camaro a look that told the world we just entered a new decade.
Custom-built ’73 Camaro convertibles came with a simple message–GM should have built them. They were cool, understated and classy—a car that still looks great in 2024.
The next convertible that was never officially built was the 1977 Cordoba. The Cordoba was Chrysler’s answer to personal luxury like the Mark III-IV Lincolns and the Monte Carlos from Chevy.
They too, had a Euro-like front grille because Chrysler wanted to add class to its Cordoba line. It worked because cars in the late 70s tended to be a little boxy, but the Cordoba knocked the edges off the typical profile of a late-70s car. They also made a great convertible—Chrysler should have pumped them out at the factory.
The 1978 Lincoln Town Coupe is the largest example of a post 1976 convertible. This is a car that shouldn’t have worked–but it did.
They built a car with the manners and presence of a massive ’78 Lincoln and the open-air experience of a convertible. You’d never miss seeing a Town Coupe on a freeway in 1978 or 2024.
The fourth 70s convertible that was never produced—yet it exists–is the 1979 Cadillac Coupe de Ville convertible. This is another car that should have been built at the factory, but only came via a custom builder.
Caddys have always been high-end cars with solid build quality, so the convertible conversion carried the same traits—without a fixed roof. That’s the true definition of riding in style…in the open air.
The last 70s convertible on the Detroit-never-officially-built-in-the-70s list was the 1979 Ford Thunderbird convertible. This T-bird generation came well after the first generation debuted and years after the last Thunderbird convertible was built in 1966.
The ’79 Thunderbird was a typical example of a late 70s sedan. They had massive front ends, big bumpers and huge grilles with hideaway headlights.
These Thunderbirds were products of their time, so all those styling cues were a combination of government regulations and Detroit’s vision of how car should look at the end of the Me Decade. The default instinct is to think a convertible ’79 T-bird shouldn’t work—but it did. The ’79 T-bird convertible worked on every level—from the front, back, and side because it gave the car a unique profile.
Every one of these convertibles are examples of how concepts never die in the automotive world—they simply made a comeback in smaller (and cooler) numbers.
Jerry Sutherland
By: Jerry Sutherland
Jerry Sutherland is a veteran automotive writer with a primary focus on the collector car hobby. His work has been published in many outlets and publications, including the National Post, Calgary Herald, Edmonton Journal, Ottawa Citizen, Montreal Gazette, Saskatoon StarPhoenix, Regina Leader-Post, Vancouver Sun and The Truth About Cars. He is also a regular contributor to Auto Roundup Publications.
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