On April 21, 1976, automobile manufacturer Cadillac issued a press release informing the media that the last American-produced convertible had been driven off its Detroit assembly line.
Click start to play today’s car-themed Word Search, where “rag top” inspires today’s puzzle.
The earliest cars were all convertibles – the Model T Ford was usually driven without a top, and it didn’t even have side windows or a windshield. But as enclosed cars started getting mass produced and became more affordable, convertibles became the domain of the rich.
By 1936, open-top cars accounted for less than one per cent of automobile sales in the US. The convertible was considered to be dead or on the way out. Only a few wealthy car owners could afford the remaining few rag tops, like US President Franklin Delano Roosevelt, who toured around in a Lincoln convertible that was known as the ‘Sunshine Special’.
With a lack of interest from customers, automobile owners stopped making rag tops. Cadillac’s (and America’s) last convertible was a white 1976 Fleetwood Eldorado, of which there were only 200, and the company was so sure the convertible’s time was at an end that they retained the last one for historical purposes – so that future generations could marvel at the relic and its curious retractable roof.
In their press release, Edward C. Kennard, Cadillac’s general manager, said: “Like the running board and the rumble seat, the convertible is an item which history has passed by.” The last convertible, which was completely white, with white tops, white wheel covers and white leather seats, had red piping, a red carpet, red dashes and a set of special Michigan licence plates, embossed with the word, “LAST”.
Although convertibles didn’t truly disappear, like auto manufacturers thought they would, they are not the most popular cars in the market, even today. The typical convertible was a two-door, open-top car that was traditionally made for enjoying long drives on sunny days. But according to North American automotive business website Automotive News, the bestselling convertible in the industry today isn’t a car – it’s an SUV: the Jeep Wrangler.
Do you own a convertible or would you opt for one over other automobiles? Play today’s Word Search and let us know at games@gulfnews.com.
