In 1961, General Motors sought to differentiate itself from the competition by offering fashionable convertible tops in a variety of patterns, including polka dots, houndstooth and even floral print.
The idea, which was pioneered for Buick under the watch of GM design chief Bill Mitchell, never made it past the concept phase. However, the design team did manage to snap a few photos of the project before it was scrapped.
The photo shoot featured designer fabrics draped over vehicles roofs to demonstrate what the “fashion tops” would look like:
Six decades later, fashionable convertible tops are a reality — well, kinda.
Haartz Corporation has started weaving patterns into its soft top fabric using their jacquared weaving technology. So far they’ve used it to weave racing stripes and even a Union Jack into production convertible tops.
Meanwhile, some aftermarket top makers offer them in wild colors — like red and purple.
But we’re still waiting for polka dots and houndstooth.
Recent Comments