Return of The Factory Convertible
As the coachbuilt convertible cottage industry continued to grow, it became obvious to the car manufacturers that it was again time for them to produce new convertibles. For the 1982 model year, the Chrysler LeBaron, Dodge 400 and Buick Riviera convertibles were available to new car shoppers as a factory option. The Ford Mustang, Chevy Cavalier & Pontiac Sunbird followed for the 1983 model year, and the Cadillac Eldorado & Toyota Celica followed for 1984. Even though these new factory convertibles were offered by the manufacturer, they were still built as hardtops, then shipped to a coach company for modification into a convertible. The cars were then sent to dealerships by the original manufacturer. Even though the conversion process was the same, because these convertibles were provided to the dealership directly from the car manufacturer, they are considered factory original. In time, the car manufacturers were able to return the actual construction and engineering of some of its convertibles back to the factory. Companies like American Specialty Cars continue to build convertibles for manufacturers, both with soft tops and with retractable hard tops. They are responsible for the Toyota Camry Solara convertible and BMW Z3, as well as countless others.
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