The early 1980s saw the return of the convertible in the North American car market.
Convertibles were never practical, but nostalgia is a powerful force—it’s 98% of the car hobby.
They didn’t build fleets of domestic convertibles in the 80s, but the ones they did build carried their own form of cool, so here are ten examples of 1980s topless classics.
Jerry Sutherland
The first example is the Fox-body 1980 Mustang.
Mustangs have always meshed well with the convertible fans, and 1980 pumped out another great version of a roofless pony car. Ford didn’t sell many ‘vert Mustangs that year, but they did offer a 302 V-8–this Fox-Body had some jump when asked.
The second example came from Buick in the form of the 1980 Riviera convertible.
Unlike the Mustang, this convertible was aimed at high-end buyers because they weren’t cheap—Buick buyers expected more than average quality. These were custom builds, so they didn’t build many, and this Riv had a V-6 with a 307 V-8 option. The 1980 Riviera convertible was rare then, so they’re almost non-existent in 2026.
The third example came from Chrysler in the form of the 1983 Town and Country Woody convertible.
This car was a throwback to the late 40s Chrysler Woody convertibles, and it was based on the K-platform that saved the company. It had a 2.6 Mitsubishi engine and high-tech stuff that talked to the owner. The Town and Country convertible was an excellent example of how Chrysler maximized the potential of one platform.
The fourth example is the 1985 AMC Reliance convertible.
This little car was a collaboration between AMC and Renault, so it featured a 1.7 OHC four-cylinder that pumped out 77.5 horsepower. You won’t see one at your local car show, but you might see one at a big AMC show. They are incredibly rare.
The fifth example is the 1985 Pontiac Sunbird.
Pontiac stepped up its styling game with the Sunbird, and it was powered by a 1.9 L 4-cylinder that cracked out 84 horsepower. They looked cool, but ’85 Sunbird convertibles are exceptionally scarce because Pontiac only sold 2114 copies.
The sixth example came from Dodge—the 1985 Dodge 600ES convertible.
This car was a cousin of the ’83 Chrysler Town and Country, but it had a turbocharged 2.2 four-cylinder under the hood. The 600ES held its own on the road thanks to the turbo– Chrysler sold 12,000 of them in 1985.
The seventh example came from the legendary Corvette brand in 1986.
The ‘86 Vette convertible came with a 5.7 L-98 Tuned-Port injection system that pumped out a respectable (for 1986) 235-horsepower. The ’86 convertible carried on with the proud tradition of roofless Corvettes.
The eighth example of classic 80s droptop is the 1988 Olds Cutlass Supreme.
This car was fast enough to be the 1988 Indy 500 Pace Car thanks to its 2.8 multi-port fuel injected V-6. The official pace cars were tweaked to up their game, but these ’88 Cutlass convertibles had plenty of punch for the average buyer.
The ninth example came from Jeep.
Jeeps built convertibles from Day 1, so the AMC 1988 Jeep Wrangler Sahara was simply following a decades-long tradition. This little warrior was powered by the AMC 4.2 inline-six, with a 5-speed manual, so it was a go-through-a-brick-wall performer.
The tenth—and last example is a truck.
The 1989 Dakota Sport came without a roof, so it was a genuine convertible. The Sport is another extremely rare vehicle, so you’re very unlikely to spot one—even at a big car show. They only came in black, white, or red and they had a fuelie V-6 under the hood.
The Dakota Sport is rare and cool.
That’s a great way to cap off a list of 80s convertibles.
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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