Masters of Topless

Spring! The shutters may open, the airy clothes out of the closet, the roof off. Nothing like strolling in your convertible along sunny boulevards. Topless is more! Text: Eeltjo Nieuwenhuis
Online Editor: Mical JosephAfter the past winter with its storms and showers, we are completely ready for spring and summer. We are looking forward to terraces, summer dresses, sun and of course topless driving. Whatever you call it - topless, with the roof off or with the hood open - driving in a convertible feels just that little bit more romantic. You are no longer in a bubble; you become part of the environment. You feel the sun and hear the street, you can even smell if you are almost at the beach. Convertibles come in all sizes, from microcars like the Smart fortwo convertible to SUVs like the Range Rover Evoque Convertible. The topless Evoque has since disappeared from Jaguar Land Rover's offerings, but the concern fortunately still offers the Jaguar F-Type Convertible. This spiritual successor to the legendary Jaguar E-Type is a traditional sports convertible. So expect sporty handling, high wow factor and plenty of power. Especially the F-Type R with 5.0 liter V8 supercharger and 575 hp is a racing monster.Jaguar F-Type Convertible

British class

Through history, many of the very best convertibles have come from rainy Britain. Think Triumphs, MGs, Aston Martins or the aforementioned Jaguars. Another historic brand of British origin is Bentley. With the Bentley Continental Speed Convertible, this well-to-do branch of the Volkswagen Group offers just about everything you hope to find in a car: elaborate luxury, breathtaking acceleration and the rare combination of comfort and sporty handling. A version with all the trimmings costs about four and a half tons, but Bentley does live up to this price. The only thing you could blame Bentley for is not having an electric version. But that, too, is being worked on. It's been five years since the Bentley EXP 12 Speed 6th concept car was presented, and that really wasn't a one-time experiment. People sometimes complain that electric driving would be less romantic, mainly because of the lack of sound. And of course a fat V8 sounds wonderful when it roars by. But car manufacturers do not spend a lot of money to make their cockpits as quiet as possible for nothing: too much noise quickly becomes boring. Especially for topless driving, an electric drive is fantastic. Nice and quiet and odorless driving, so you can experience the surroundings all the better.Bentley Continental GT Speed Convertible

Electric classics

Currently there are not many electric convertibles on the market, especially in the luxury segment there is little supply. Fortunately, then, classic cars are also being converted to electric these days. Classics are fundamentally more exclusive than modern cars. Because they are no longer built, there is little chance that the neighbor just ordered the same one. Besides exclusivity, classic cars also have their typical classic-car charm. In traffic, people still sometimes communicate with hand gestures, but in a classic car, other road users mostly give you the thumbs up. The number of companies restoring classic cars and modifying them to electric is growing steadily. These may be specialty companies like Hemmels or Painter Electric, but also manufacturers like Jaguar Land Rover. One advantage of such an electric conversion is environmental. Classic cars are by definition a touch old-fashioned and thus not very environmentally friendly. That is why they are banned in many European inner cities. Electric versions of the classic Mercedes SL, Jaguar E-Type or Porsche Targa, on the other hand, remain welcome. And that's a good thing, because such beauties should be seen.911 Targa 4 GTS

Timeless Targa

The Porsche Targa was launched in 1966. It is not a traditional convertible because instead of a folding roof, the Porsche has what is known as a targa roof. This is a removable, and often folding, roof panel. So the front and rear windows just stay put. But with the side windows down and the targa roof out, the Targa feels like a regular convertible. There are more brands that use the targa principle; however, they may not call their models that. Porsche established the type name "Targa" after its successes in the legendary Targa Floriorace in Sicily, and this has become the common name for such construction. Even now, 56 years after the first version was launched, the current Porsche Targa is a top-of-the-line model. Yet it is not that we prefer the Targa to, say, an Audi R8 Cabriolet. Both models are sporty, topless and beautiful. And both make us very hungry for summer.

The new MASTERS Magazine

Admiring all the convertible gems? The spring issue of MASTERS celebrates regained freedom after two years of corona. Its value is underlined by developments in Eastern Europe, where the freedom of an entire people is at stake. We live in a new reality, but we can plan again, eat out, meet people. The world is turning again! Only: which way? Time for new bridges, new initiatives. To which this edition of MASTERS offers inspiration.

MASTERS #49