CONVERTIBLE

Generally this is a two-door automobile without a fixed roof. Instead, the roof folds up or is removed in some way so that the passenger compartment is exposed to the open air. Some roofs are made of flexible fabric or plastic which folds up behind the passenger compartment. Other roofs are not flexible and retract into the trunk . Some retract automatically while others must be manually removed and placed in the trunk. The term was introduced in the 1930s. In the 1950s, a hardtop convertible was introduced to look like a convertible with its top up; but its fixed roof did not fold or retract. It was also called a drophead coupé.