99 – 2002 Chrysler PT Cruiser convertible in Colorado Junkyard – Photo by Murilee Martin
03 – 2002 Chrysler PT Cruiser convertible in Colorado Junkyard – Photo by Murilee Martin
08 – 2002 Chrysler PT Cruiser convertible in Colorado Junkyard – Photo by Murilee Martin
65 – 2002 Chrysler PT Cruiser convertible in Colorado Junkyard – Photo by Murilee Martin
46 – 2002 Chrysler PT Cruiser convertible in Colorado Junkyard – Photo by Murilee Martin
10 – 2002 Chrysler PT Cruiser convertible in Colorado Junkyard – Photo by Murilee Martin
35 – 2002 Chrysler PT Cruiser convertible in Colorado Junkyard – Photo by Murilee Martin
13 – 2002 Chrysler PT Cruiser convertible in Colorado Junkyard – Photo by Murilee Martin
14 – 2002 Chrysler PT Cruiser convertible in Colorado Junkyard – Photo by Murilee Martin
16 – 2002 Chrysler PT Cruiser convertible in Colorado Junkyard – Photo by Murilee Martin
18 – 2002 Chrysler PT Cruiser convertible in Colorado Junkyard – Photo by Murilee Martin
21 – 2002 Chrysler PT Cruiser convertible in Colorado Junkyard – Photo by Murilee Martin
23 – 2002 Chrysler PT Cruiser convertible in Colorado Junkyard – Photo by Murilee Martin
27 – 2002 Chrysler PT Cruiser convertible in Colorado Junkyard – Photo by Murilee Martin
28 – 2002 Chrysler PT Cruiser convertible in Colorado Junkyard – Photo by Murilee Martin
29 – 2002 Chrysler PT Cruiser convertible in Colorado Junkyard – Photo by Murilee Martin
30 – 2002 Chrysler PT Cruiser convertible in Colorado Junkyard – Photo by Murilee Martin
32 – 2002 Chrysler PT Cruiser convertible in Colorado Junkyard – Photo by Murilee Martin
34 – 2002 Chrysler PT Cruiser convertible in Colorado Junkyard – Photo by Murilee Martin
38 – 2002 Chrysler PT Cruiser convertible in Colorado Junkyard – Photo by Murilee Martin
39 – 2002 Chrysler PT Cruiser convertible in Colorado Junkyard – Photo by Murilee Martin
41 – 2002 Chrysler PT Cruiser convertible in Colorado Junkyard – Photo by Murilee Martin
42 – 2002 Chrysler PT Cruiser convertible in Colorado Junkyard – Photo by Murilee Martin
43 – 2002 Chrysler PT Cruiser convertible in Colorado Junkyard – Photo by Murilee Martin
45 – 2002 Chrysler PT Cruiser convertible in Colorado Junkyard – Photo by Murilee Martin
49 – 2002 Chrysler PT Cruiser convertible in Colorado Junkyard – Photo by Murilee Martin
51 – 2002 Chrysler PT Cruiser convertible in Colorado Junkyard – Photo by Murilee Martin
53 – 2002 Chrysler PT Cruiser convertible in Colorado Junkyard – Photo by Murilee Martin
55 – 2002 Chrysler PT Cruiser convertible in Colorado Junkyard – Photo by Murilee Martin
58 – 2002 Chrysler PT Cruiser convertible in Colorado Junkyard – Photo by Murilee Martin
60 – 2002 Chrysler PT Cruiser convertible in Colorado Junkyard – Photo by Murilee Martin
63 – 2002 Chrysler PT Cruiser convertible in Colorado Junkyard – Photo by Murilee Martin
68 – 2002 Chrysler PT Cruiser convertible in Colorado Junkyard – Photo by Murilee Martin
69 – 2002 Chrysler PT Cruiser convertible in Colorado Junkyard – Photo by Murilee Martin
71 – 2002 Chrysler PT Cruiser convertible in Colorado Junkyard – Photo by Murilee Martin
73 – 2002 Chrysler PT Cruiser convertible in Colorado Junkyard – Photo by Murilee Martin
Chrysler started selling PT Cruisers for the 2001 model year, and these “trucks” (yes, they were considered trucks for American regulatory purposes) proved quite popular for at least the first half of the 2000s. A factory-built version with a convertible top appeared for 2005 (and later “won” the Top Gear Worst Car of the Last 20 Years award), but what about the PT Cruiser shoppers who wanted a drop-top before then? It turns out the aftermarket had the solution: the Newport Convertible Engineering conversion, which took new PT Cruisers and added a fully functioning convertible top. According to a discussion on Allpar, 54 of these conversions were performed, and I found one of them in a Denver-area self-service yard last month.
The NCE conversion for the PT Cruiser cost $9,900 (about $15,715 in 2022 dollars) plus the $17,000 sticker price of a new PT Cruiser, and included the needed chassis-stiffening modifications and a shortened, hydraulically-actuated rear hatch.
The materials used look pretty good, even after 20 years of abuse and neglect.
This one had the convertible mechanism ziptied shut in many locations when I found it.
Naturally, I cut all those zipties to see if the roof mechanism still worked. It was very, very stiff but proved semi-functional (the zipties appeared to be an attempt to keep a faulty latch mechanism from letting the roof pop open at speed). The roof assembly weighs a lot, though you could spend an extra $3,000 to get a power-actuation system from NCE.
This cab must have been extremely noisy and buffety with the top down at speed, but so what? Convertibles are cool.
Mechanically, it’s an ordinary Touring Edition with a Neon’s 2.4-liter four-cylinder making 150 horsepower. You could get a PT Cruiser with a five-speed manual transmission, and many did, but this one has the extra-cost automatic. Starting in the 2003 model year, a 215-horse turbocharged engine became available.
Rare, but not valuable.
This commercial is for the factory convertible, but you get the idea.
