Make it stop: Bad landau tops
Silly landau tops - Click above image for high-res image gallery
Landau tops. Frankly, some are fine. Show us, say, a mid-to-late '70s Olds Cutlass or Lincoln Town Coupe gussied up accordingly from the factory, and we're liable to nod in approval and make one of those, "Ehh, not bad at all!" facial expressions in appreciation of the old barge. That said, most modern landau roof applications are dealer-installed, and commensurately disastrous and stupid.
My friend Scott had been telling me about two particularly egregious examples he regularly sees in his Brooklyn neighborhood. "Show me," I told him. So he remembered to tote his camera with him this week and sent me these. The Buick LeSabre isn't all that surprising, gauche though it may be. But the Ford Escort? Yeah, that's a good one. Gotta love those opera lights and the fading "Ghia" lettering, too. Will anything ever stop these people?
Your turn: What's the most terrible landau top application you've personally witnessed? We know you have stories. Share.
UPDATE: TTAC fires a salvo of its own. Fun!
Gallery: Bad Landau Tops
[Images courtesy of Scott Nyerges]
Reader Comments (Page 1 of 5)
Mark 1:55PM (11/01/2009)
Look at the majesty of those landau tops. Those must be PRESIDENTIAL editions!
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Alex Nunez 1:57PM (11/01/2009)
Mark totally understands.
MachinaDC5 2:16PM (11/01/2009)
Presidential? I dare say only the wealthiest kings and queens of Europe would have such well appointed motor car roofs.
Mark 2:19PM (11/01/2009)
If it's good enough for a President it must be the pinnacle of opulence and luxury for grandmother in Boca Raton.
daleam 2:51PM (11/01/2009)
Do people still do this? Yikes!
bathtub gin 3:08PM (11/01/2009)
@Mark - The Buick isn't anything new, but the Escort - oh, baby! Maybe it's an Escort Brougham? Dare we dream that it is equipped with crushed velour seating surfaces? On tufted pillow-tops? Or maybe even ... rich Corinthian leather?
LaserRed38 3:30PM (11/01/2009)
Bathtub...it's FINE Corinthian leather. Come on I'm only 22 and I know that!
Farmboy 3:53PM (11/01/2009)
Wait....Geely is tapping into this market too???
Jared 4:04PM (11/01/2009)
I wish I still had the picture on my phone of a orange colored Nissan Maxima I want to say (coulda been an Altima though, it was a 2008 model for sure though) and it had one of these ugly roofs on it. I never understood how they were a style way back in the day, and I still dont.
daleam 4:07PM (11/01/2009)
"rich Corinthian leather"
"FINE Corinthian leather"
According to this you're both wrong:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vIL3fbGbU2o
James 4:24PM (11/01/2009)
"Look at the majesty of those landau tops. Those must be PRESIDENTIAL editions!"
This don't look majestic to me...
http://z.about.com/w/experts/Auto-body-repair-2036/2008/08/Cadillac-Vinyl-top.jpg
richbum 8:46PM (11/01/2009)
how about one on a CAMRY that I saw the other day??
http://i600.photobucket.com/albums/tt84/heinrichpoker/photo.jpg
bathtub gin 10:01PM (11/01/2009)
@Laser & Dale - Coulda swore I heard Mr. Montalban describe those famous seat coverings as 'rich' in one of those Cordoba commercials, but I will gladly admit to my mistake.
My memory may be faulty, but... soft, fine, rich... call it what you will, you just can't beat the stuff. Especially in concert with a landau roof & opera lights. :-)
Human Powered 11:20PM (11/01/2009)
See the collection of all time best Landau tops
http://tiny.cc/YnhCP
daleam 3:47AM (11/02/2009)
Bathtub - I am not certain that he never did say "rich", but the example I found doesn't say that. I could be wrong about this, but I believe that comedians parodied Montalban and said "rich" and that's what stuck in people's heads. I don't ever remember hearing "fine".
vespid82 1:57PM (11/01/2009)
LOL! Thanks for the laugh!
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Yaroukh 1:57PM (11/01/2009)
that Ford is Brian's car
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caddy-v 2:34PM (11/01/2009)
No, sorry to say, they have'nt found a way to put a real landau top on a Civic hot wheels edition.
Farmboy 3:49PM (11/01/2009)
Funny thing is that landau tops might improve the look of a Toyota. ;)
Jim in Tampa 4:50PM (11/01/2009)
No it won't, Farmboy. I saw a Toyota Camry a few years back with a landau top and it didn't improve the looks at all.