Autoblog

There's been a spate of vehicles given the roofless treatment since 2003, which helped keep registrations of convertibles growing since then. 2007 saw the trend reverse, though, with registrations of droptops sliding by 8.6 percent, says R.L. Polk & Company. Polk's folks contend that while there's now plenty of selection with fancy retractable hardtops, the economic slide is putting downward pressure on some luxury items. While it might be difficult to describe the ghastly petrochemical disaster inside a Sebring as profligate, convertibles are not viewed by consumers as a sensible shoes purchase. Segment leaders such as the Mustang and Sebring still maintain their dominance, with the Mustang taking a 33 percent hit compared to 2006, while the Sebring actually found 2.7 percent more registrants. If you hate convertibles, this news doesn't matter to you. The upside is that as inventory ages on lots, deals get hotter.

[Source: Automotive News – sub req.]

Earlier in the week, we told you that a Maltese firm had developed an aftermarket hard-top convertible to be used on the Mustang, and now you can see it in action. Peter Muscat decided to put his own touch on the popular Ford Mustang GT by converting the pony car into a hard-top convertible. To make room for the custom mechanicals that power the roof, Peter decided that the back seat was dispensable. Considering the rear seats of the Mustang are pretty unusable for anyone older than six, we're okay with that decision.

It takes a reasonable 29 seconds to drop the top on Pete's 'Stang, and about 40 seconds to put it back up. Looking at the video, the roof doesn't appear to be as sturdy as what you'd get from the factory (i.e. VW EOS or Volvo C70), yet the motion seems well-executed. Pete added one of those overly-vogue side vents to his personalized Mustang, but left almost everything else stock. In the next six years, Pete plans on building 500 of these one-off Mustangs, and he says he's already got orders for over 100. Hit the jump to check out this unique Mustang's hard-top convertible in motion.

[Source: Imalta.net]