Mike,
are you sure that this was so?
As I recall, such legislation was proposed in the US, and supposedly the
only topless cars to pass these regulations were to be the Lamborghini
Jalpa Targa and the Fiat X1/9 Targa. The latter being designed
specifically for these regulations which caused the car to become a little
overweight. The legislation was not passed.
Since the X1/9 was introduced in Europe in 1972, this might be a different
story than the one you are referring to.
Would the Mustang Convertible be an example of a convertible produced from
the late 80s until now?
Ulix
On Tue, 3 Nov 1998, Mike Merrick wrote:
> Hi Ulix (and ragtop lovers everywhere):
>
> I believe you are mistaken, there was no love lost (literally) between
> American car owners and the convertible, however, our government was
> protecting us again. If you don't recall, there was about a 10 year
> period where NOTHING with a rag top was allowed to be produced in the
> States (or shipped in if memory serves). They finally relented to some
> extent, manufacturers modified to meet their new test criteria and,
> voila!, ragtops ride again.
>
> As for whether folks would accept an '80's version of the Spridget, I've
> been following a (tedious) string on the Brit-Iron (bike) list where
> they've been excorciating the new Hinkley Triumphs (too reliable, too
> little maintenance, etc.) as not being fit inheritors of the Triumph
> marque.
>
> Mike Merrick
> <mmerrick@mail.state.mo.us>
> "Either ride (/drive) the damn thing or sell it to someone who will!"
>
> Ulix Goettsch wrote:
> >
> > At least in the US, a fact that shouldn't be forgotten is that in the
> > 80's, nobody wanted convertibles. Most british roadsters were not
> > replaced by new models, and if they were, they were 80's style, meaning
> > that we probably wouldn't like the 80's replacement of the Spridget
> > anyway.
> >
>
Ulix __/__,__
.......................................................... (_o____o_)....
'67 Sprite
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