The 17 Best Convertibles of All Time

Roadsters cheaper than a used hatchback, parked beside grand tourers built for crossing borders.

1. 1
   Mazda MX-5 Miata

   The best-selling two-seat roadster ever built, and the benchmark for cheap fun since 1989.
   1000pts
2. 2
   Jaguar E-Type Roadster

   The open version of the shape that defined 1960s British sports cars.
   794pts
3. 3
   BMW Z3

   The 1990s roadster that reached a wide audience partly through a Bond film.
   731pts
4. 4
   Mercedes-Benz SL (Pagoda)

   The 1963 W113, named for the dipped hardtop that came with it.
   577pts
5. 5
   Honda S2000

   A 9,000rpm roadster built for Honda's fiftieth anniversary.
   500pts
6. 6
   Fiat 124 Spider

   Pininfarina's 1966 roadster, pretty, affordable and made for two decades.
   500pts
7. 7
   Porsche 911 Cabriolet

   The soft-top 911, proof that removing the roof need not ruin a rear-engined car.
   409pts
8. 8
   MG B Roadster

   The affordable British roadster that put half a million people in an open car.
   409pts
9. 9
   Ferrari 250 GT California Spyder

   One of the most valuable open Ferraris, built in tiny numbers in the late 1950s.
   409pts
10. 10
    Aston Martin DB9 Volante

    A grand tourer that treats open-air driving as comfort rather than sport.
    409pts
11. 11
    Chrysler LeBaron Convertible

    The 1980s American drop-top that made the body style mainstream again.
    409pts
12. 12
    Ford Mustang Convertible

    A drop-top pony car sold continuously since 1964, and the body style the Mustang launched with.
    300pts
13. 13
    Chevrolet Corvette Convertible

    America's sports car has offered an open roof since the very first 1953 model.
    300pts
14. 14
    Volkswagen Beetle Cabriolet

    Karmann's soft-top Beetle, with a folded roof that sat proudly on the rear deck.
    300pts
15. 15
    Bentley Continental GTC

    A heavyweight convertible built for crossing continents rather than corners.
    300pts
16. 16
    Alfa Romeo Spider

    The Duetto that Dustin Hoffman drove in The Graduate, built for nearly thirty years.
    300pts
17. 17
    Lotus Elan

    Colin Chapman's tiny 1960s roadster, the handling benchmark the Miata was drawn from.
    300pts