for: convertible security A convertible is a type of automobile in which the vehicle's roof can retract and fold away, converting it from an enclosed to an open-air vehicle. Many different automobile body styles are manufactured and marketed in convertible form.

Roof designs vary widely, but a few characteristics are common to all convertibles. Roofs are affixed to the body of the vehicle and are usually not detachable. Instead the roof is hinged and folds away, either into a recess behind the rear seats or into the boot of the vehicle. The roof may be designed to operate either by hand or automatically using hydraulic or electrical actuators.

Roofs can be made out of a wide variety of materials, and are usually divided in two types: soft-tops and hard-tops. Soft-tops are made of vinyl, canvas or other textile material, while hard-tops are usually made of the same material as the car's body (usually steel or aluminium).

Convertibles are known by different terms, mainly due to convergence of various body styles and also different marketing terms used. A soft-top convertible may also be referred to as a cabriolet, although two-seater soft tops retain the name roadster, referring to their body style. Hard-tops are marketed under the terms coupé cabriolet, coupé convertible or simply retractable hardtop.

Folding textile roof

The collapsible textile roof section (of cloth or vinyl) over an articulated folding frame may include linings such as a sound-deadening layer (e.g.,Volkswagen Beetle) or interior cosmetic headliner (to hide the frame) (e.g.,Chrysler LeBaron) — or both — and may have electrical or electro-hydraulic mechanisms for raising the roof. The erected top secures to the windshield frame header with manual latches (e.g.,Alfa Romeo Spider), semi-manual latches, or fully automatic latches (e.g.,Volvo C70). The folded convertible top is called the stack.

Pros and cons

Convertibles offer the flexibility of an open top in trade for:

• potentially reduced safety
• poor break-in protection
• deterioration and shrinkage of the sun-exposed textile fabric over time
• diminished rear visibility, from a large roof structure, small rear window, or obstructed rear window — or all of these: e.g.,MINI convertible.
• generally poor structural rigidity. Contemporary engineering goes to great length to counteract the effects of removal of a cars's roof. For example, a 2007 article in the New York Times, referring to the Volkswagen Eos, reported:

• specifically poor structural rigidity, such as pronounced skuttle shake, a characteristic whereby the structural design of the bulkhead between engine and passenger compartment of a convertible suffers sufficiently poor rigidity to negatively impact ride or handling — or allow noticeable vibration, shudder or chassis-flexing into the passenger compartment.