Retractable hardtop

File:Paris - RM auctions - 20150204 - Lancia Belna Eclipse - 1934 - 027.jpg Eclipse]]

File:Paris - Retromobile 2013 - Peugeot 401 Coupé transformable Eclipse - 1935 - 101.jpg

1922 Ben P. Ellerbeck was granted a patent (U.S. No. 1,379,906 on 31 May 1921) for a retractable hardtop roof design for cars.{{cite magazine |last1=Gosden |first1=W.E. |title=The first Fliptop? Ellerbeck had a Better Idea |magazine=Special Interest Autos |date=April 1979 |pages=20–21}} He developed several scale models for the 1922 Automobile Body Builders Exhibition in New York City.{{cite magazine |last1=Creager |first1=Reid |title=Going Like 100: the convertible celebrates a milestone birthday, all started by an uncelebrated inventor |magazine=Inventors Digest |date=February 2022 |volume=38 |issue=2 |pages=14–16 |url= https://www.inventorsdigest.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/03/INV-vol-38-02-February-2022Final.pdf |access-date=14 January 2024}} In 1922, he modified a 1919 Hudson Super Six roadster with his manually operated gear and spring "flip top" system. It allowed unimpeded use of the rumble seat even with the top down.{{cite web |title=Ford Skyliner |work=Driving Today |first=Jack |last=Nerad |url= http://www.drivingtoday.com/greatest_cars/ford_skyliner/index.html |url-status=dead |archive-url= https://web.archive.org/web/20140221195452/http://www.drivingtoday.com/greatest_cars/ford_skyliner/index.html |archive-date=21 February 2014 |access-date=13 January 2024}} The design was not put into production.{{cite web| title=History, Revival |work=Retractable Hardtop Online |url= http://retractable.free.fr/uk/index.html |access-date=3 February 2014}}

1931 Georges Paulin made his idea public by applying for a patent on a detachable hard roof design that could ultimately be moved and stowed automatically in a car's rear luggage compartment, under a reverse-hinged rear-deck lid.

1932 The French patent system granted Paulin patent number 733.380 for his Eclipse roof system on 5 July 1932.{{cite web|url= http://www.redroom.com/articlestory/the-story-lancia-paulin-and-john-moir |last=Buchanan |first=James |title=The Story of Lancia, Paulin and John Moir |website=redroom.com |archive-url= https://web.archive.org/web/20110726032435/http://www.redroom.com/articlestory/the-story-lancia-paulin-and-john-moir |archive-date=26 July 2011 |access-date=13 January 2024}}

1934 Paulin's Eclipse retractable hard roof {{cite news| title = New Again: The Hideaway Hardtop |newspaper=The New York Times |first=Rob |last=Sass |date=10 December 2006 |url= https://www.nytimes.com/2006/12/10/automobiles/10RETRACT.html?ex=1323406800&en=a440f0f4ff67f836&ei=5090&partner=rssuserland&emc=rss | access-date=6 March 2011 |archive-url= https://web.archive.org/web/20151029090916/https://www.nytimes.com/2006/12/10/automobiles/10RETRACT.html?ex=1323406800&en=a440f0f4ff67f836&ei=5090&partner=rssuserland&emc=rss |archive-date=29 October 2015}} was first presented on the Peugeot 401D Éclipse Décapotable, a low convertible coupé.{{cite news |title=1935 Peugeot Model 401D Eclipse: The first retractable hardtop |website=autoweek.com |first=Brooks T. |last=Brierley |url= https://www.autoweek.com/news/a2119691/1935-peugeot-model-401d-eclipse-first-retractable-hardtop/ |date=17 June 2001 |accessdate=31 March 2021}}{{cite web |title=From the Zero to the Eclipse |url= http://peugeot.mainspot.net/hist11.shtml |website=Peugeot.mainspot.net |access-date=31 March 2021 |url-status=dead |archive-url= https://web.archive.org/web/20100117200913/http://peugeot.mainspot.net/hist11.shtml |archive-date=17 January 2010}} In 1933, Paulin showed his designs to premier coachbuilder Marcel Pourtout, who hired him as lead designer, and in 1934 they equipped first a Peugeot 401D, followed by a 601C, with "Eclipse" roofs and bodywork, on chassis provided by Emile Darl'mat. The same year, a Lancia Belna, a French-built Lancia Augusta, was also built as an Eclipse.{{cite web |url= https://rmsothebys.com/en/auctions/pa15/paris/lots/r105-1934-lancia-belna-eclipse-by-pourtout/181559 |title=1934 Lancia Belna Eclipse by Pourtout |access-date=9 June 2019}}

File:1938Peugeot402LE4Y IMG 7281.jpg (1938) ]]

1935 Peugeot purchased Paulin's patent, and introduced the first factory production, power-operated, retractable hardtop in 1935, the "402BL Éclipse Décapotable",{{cite magazine |url= https://books.google.com/books?id=yN8DAAAAMBAJ&q=Popular+Science+1935+plane+%22Popular+Mechanics%22&pg=PA253 |title=Disappearing Top On Auto Worked By Push Button |magazine=Popular Mechanics |date=February 1935 |page=253 |volume=63 |issue=2 |access-date=14 August 2013 }}{{cite magazine |url= https://books.google.com/books?id=QdsDAAAAMBAJ&pg=RA1-PA43 |title=Latest Foreign Auto Has Disappearing Top |magazine=Popular Mechanics |date=January 1936 |page=53 |volume=65 |issue=1 |access-date=14 August 2013 }} of which some 470 were built. Pourtout build custom examples, designed by Paulin, on other makes including Delage and Panhard as well as the "Eclipse" coupé-convertibles based on the Peugeot 301, 401, 601, 302, and 402.

File:1941 Chrysler LeBaron Thunderbolt - rvl.jpg

1941 Chrysler introduced a retractable hardtop concept car, the Chrysler Thunderbolt.{{cite web |author=((Auto Editors of Consumer Guide)) |title=1941 Chrysler Thunderbolt Roadster |url= https://auto.howstuffworks.com/1941-chrysler-thunderbolt-roadster.htm |website=auto.howstuffworks.com |date=29 November 2007 |access-date=15 January 2024}}{{cite web |title=Vanderbilt Cup Races - Blog - Mystery Friday Foto #4 Solved: The 1941 Chrysler Thunderbolt concept car with links to Tucker 1044 and 1937 Chrysler's Chrysler |url= https://www.vanderbiltcupraces.com/blog/article/mystery_friday_foto_4_an_early_concept_car |website=vanderbiltcupraces.com |date=30 January 2023 |access-date=15 January 2024}}

1947 American Playboy Automobile Company marketed one of the first series produced convertibles, with a retractable roof consisting of more than one section. Ninety-seven production models were made until the company's bankruptcy in 1951.{{cite web |last1=Radu |first1=Vlad |title=Remembering the Playboy, America's First Production Convertible With a Retractable Hardtop |url= https://www.autoevolution.com/news/remembering-the-playboy-america-s-first-production-convertible-with-a-retractable-hardtop-190494.html |work=autoevolution |date=6 June 2022 |access-date=15 January 2024}}

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1953 Ford Motor Company spent an estimated US$2 million (US${{formatnum:{{Inflation|US|2000000|1953}}}} in {{Inflation-year|US}} dollars{{inflation-fn|US}}) to engineer a Continental Mark II with a servo-operated retractable roof. The concept was rejected for cost and marketing reasons. Engineering work was used by Ford for the retractable mechanism in their 1957 through 1959 flagship Ford Fairlane 500 Skyliner.

1955 Brothers Ed and Jim Gaylord showed a prototype at the 1955 Paris Motor Show, but the car failed to reach production.{{cite web| title=1950 Gaylord concept cars |website=auto.howstuffworks.com |author=((Auto Editors of Consumer Guide)) |date=13 November 2007 |url= http://auto.howstuffworks.com/1950s-gaylord-concept-cars.htm |archive-url= http://web.archive.org/web/20210117132912/http://auto.howstuffworks.com/1950s-gaylord-concept-cars.htm |archive-date=17 January 2021 |access-date=13 January 2024}}

1956 After working for 4,000 hours and investing $100 in the whole car, Raymond P. Meyette built a one-piece power-operated hardtop convertible using a 1952 Nash Ambassador chassis.{{cite magazine |last1=Sand |first1=George X. |title=They told him it could not be built - so he built it himself: A Hardtop Convertible |magazine=Popular Mechanics |date=December 1956 |volume=106 |issue=6 |pages=138–139 |url= https://books.google.com/books?id=q-EDAAAAMBAJ&dq=Popular+Mechanics+after+four+years+of+trial+and+error+Raymond+P.+Meyette+hardtop+convertible&pg=PA138 |access-date=13 January 2024}}

File:1958 Ford Fairlane 500 Skyliner.JPG with roof in mid folding action]]

1957 Ford introduced the Fairlane 500 Skyliner in the United States. Further development of the 1953 Continental Mark II retractable proposal cost an estimated US$18 million (US${{formatnum:{{Inflation|US|18000000|1957}}}} in {{Inflation-year|US}} dollars{{inflation-fn|US}}).{{cite web|url= http://ateupwithmotor.com/model-histories/ford-skyliner/ |first=Aaron |last=Severson |title=Raising the Roof: The Ford Skyliner 'Retrac' |date=26 April 2009 |work=Ate Up With Motor |access-date=9 December 2016}} The Skyliner was a halo car with little luggage space and was priced double the baseline Ford sedan. A total of 48,394 were built from 1957 until 1959. Its mechanism contained ten power relays, ten limit switches, four lock motors, three drive motors, eight circuit breakers, as well as {{convert|610|ft|m}} of electrical wire. It could raise or lower the top in about 40 seconds. The retractable top was noted for its complexity and usual reliability in the pre-transistor era.{{cite book |last=Willson |first=Quentin |title=The Ultimate Classic Car Book |year=1995 |publisher=DK Publishing |isbn=0-7894-0159-2 |url-access=registration |url= https://archive.org/details/ultimateclassicc00quen }}{{cite web|author=((Auto Editors of Consumer Guide)) |url= http://auto.howstuffworks.com/1957-1959-ford-fairlane-skyliner.htm/printable |title=1957-1959 Ford Fairlane 500 Skyliner |website=auto.howstuffworks.com |date=20 July 2007 |access-date=14 August 2013 }}

1989 Toyota introduced a retractable hardtop, the MZ20 Soarer Aerocabin. The car featured an electric folding hardtop and was marketed as a two-seater with a cargo area behind the front seats. Production was 500 units.

1995 The Mitsubishi GTO Spyder by ASC was marketed in the U.S. The design was further popularized by such cars as the 1996 Mercedes-Benz SLK. and 2001 Peugeot 206 CC.

2006 Peugeot presented a concept four-door retractable hardtop convertible, the Peugeot 407 Macarena.{{cite web |title=¡Hey, Macarena! Heuliez Creates an Open-Top Peugeot 407 |work=Edmunds |date=28 January 2006 |url= http://www.edmunds.com/insideline/do/News/articleId=109085 |url-status=dead |archive-url= https://web.archive.org/web/20061219010531/http://www.edmunds.com/insideline/do/News/articleId%3D109085 |archive-date=19 December 2006}} Produced by French coachbuilding specialist Heuliez, the Macarena's top folded in about 30 seconds. It has a reinforcing beam behind the front seats incorporating LCD screens into the crossmember for the rear passengers.

File:2008 BMW 320Ci Cabrio Schliessen 2.jpg ]]

Retractable hardtops are commonly made from between two and five sections of metal or plastic and often rely on complex dual-hinged trunk/boot lids that enable the trunk lid to both receive the retracting top from the front and also receive parcels or luggage from the rear. The trunk also often includes a divider mechanism to prevent the loading of luggage that would conflict with the operation of the hardtop.

• The Volkswagen Eos features a five-segment retractable roof where one section is an independently sliding transparent sunroof.
• The Mercedes SL hardtop features a glass section that rotates during retraction to provide a more compact "stack."
• The third-generation Mazda MX-5 was available with an optional power retractable hardtop in place of the standard folding-textile soft-top. Compared to the regular soft-top, the hardtop weighed {{convert|77|lb|abbr=on}} more. It did not reduce cargo capacity.{{cite web|url= http://www.autoweek.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20061009/FREE/61003001/1004|title=2007 Mazda MX-5 Miata Power Retractable Hardtop |access-date=6 March 2011 |website=autoweek.com |first=Mark |last=Vaughn |date=10 September 2006}} The hardtop roof was polycarbonate and manufactured by the German firm Webasto.{{cite web|url= https://www.caranddriver.com/news/2007-mazda-mx-5-miata-hardtop-car-news |title=2007 Mazda MX-5 Miata Hardtop |work=Car and Driver |date=1 September 2006 |access-date=28 June 2018}}
• The retractable hardtop used on the Chrysler Sebring (and its successor the Chrysler 200) was marketed alongside a soft-top. According to development engineer Dave Lauzun, the Karmann-made tops were installed into identical body designs and used the same automatic tonneau cover, luggage divider, and luggage space.{{cite web | title=2008 Chrysler Sebring Convertible |first=Dave |last=Lauzun |website=Autonetwork.com |url= https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jiIEyCFR9Gg |archive-url= https://ghostarchive.org/varchive/youtube/20211221/jiIEyCFR9Gg |archive-date=21 December 2021 |url-status=live| access-date=3 February 2014}}{{cbignore}} The retractable version featured an underbody cross-brace not included in the softtop.

The retractable hardtop's advantages include:

• More weatherly when the roof is raised
• More secure than fabric tops{{cite magazine |url= http://www.automobilemag.com/features/great_drives/0908_luxury_hardtop_convertible_comparison/index.html |title=Great Drive: Luxury Hardtop Convertible Comparison |magazine=Automobile |date=August 2009 |access-date=14 August 2013 }}
• Increased structural rigidity
• May enable consolidation/simplification of a manufacturer's car lineup; for example, the BMW Z4 (E89) was offered only as a coupé-convertible (hardtop), compared to the preceding E85 generation that had separate coupé and cabriolet (soft-top) variants.

The retractable hardtop's disadvantages include:

• Higher initial cost
• Increased mechanical complexity
• Potentially diminished passenger and trunk space compared to a soft-top convertible.{{cite magazine |first=Arthur |last=St. Antoine |url= http://www.motortrend.com/roadtests/convertibles/112_1005_luxury_convertible_comparison/ |title=Luxury Convertible Comparison: 2010 Audi A5 vs 2010 BMW 335i vs 2009 Infiniti G37 vs 2010 Lexus IS 350 |magazine=Motor Trend |date=May 2010 |access-date=3 February 2014}}{{cite web|url= http://www.caranddriver.com/comparisons/2007-vw-eos-vs-audi-a4-bmw-328i-volvo-c70-saab-9-3-comparison-tests |title=2007 VW Eos vs. Audi A4, BMW 328i, Volvo C70, Saab 9-3 – Comparison Tests |website=caranddriver.com |date=June 2007 |first=Tony |last=Swan |access-date=3 February 2014}}
• Higher weight and center of gravity than soft-top convertibles, potentially reducing handling.{{cite magazine |url= http://www.caranddriver.com/reviews/comparisons/10q1/2010_audi_a5_2.0t_quattro_vs._2010_bmw_328i_2009_infiniti_g37_2010_lexus_is350c-comparison_tests |first=Tony |last=Swan |title=2010 Audi A5 2.0T Quattro vs. 2010 BMW 328i, 2009 Infiniti G37, 2010 Lexus IS350C – Comparison Tests |magazine=Car and Driver |date=March 2010 |access-date=3 February 2014}}
• Potential need for more than minimum clearance while operating the hardtop. For example, the Volvo C70 requires {{convert|6.5|ft|m|0}} of vertical clearance during operation,{{cite web |title=2007 Volvo C70 |website=volvocars.com, C70 owner documentation, Page 93 |url= http://new.volvocars.com/ownersdocs/2007/2007_C70/07c70_04.htm |access-date=3 February 2014}} the Cadillac XLR requires {{convert|6|ft|10+1/2|in|0|abbr=on}} of vertical clearance and the Mercedes SLK's trunk lid extends rearward while lowering or lifting the top.

{{main|List of coupé convertibles}}

File:Mazda MX-5 hardtop.jpg|Mazda Miata Power Retractable Hard Top (PRHT) c. 2007, with polycarbonate hardtop

File:Cadillac XLR 2006.jpg|Cadillac XLR c. 2007, aluminum hardtop made by a joint venture of Mercedes-Benz and Porsche{{cite magazine |title=2004 Cadillac XLR |magazine=Motor Trend |date=August 2002 |first=Jack |last=Keebler |url= http://www.motortrend.com/roadtests/112_0208_cadxlr |access-date=6 March 2011}}

File:Daihatsu.copen.arp.750pix.jpg|Daihatsu Copen c. 2001, a retractable hardtop in the Japanese Kei class

File:Paris 2006 - Ford Focus CC.JPG|Ford Focus CC c. 2006, its retractable hardtop final assembly by Pininfarina

File:Chevrolet SSR.jpg|Chevrolet SSR c. 2004, pickup truck retractable hardtop engineered by ASC

File:Volkswagen Eos Front-view.JPG|Volkswagen Eos c. 2007, the five-segment top includes a sliding sunroof made by OASys

File:Opel_Astra_TwinTop_(H,_Facelift)_%E2%80%93_Heckansicht,_15._Mai_2011,_Wuppertal.jpg|Opel Astra Twintop (2005-2012), three-part roof stores in the upper half of the boot for luggage space below it

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