Cabrio coach

A Ford Eifel cabrio coach

A modern example, a Fiat 500 (2007).

A cabrio coach or semi-convertible is a type of car that has a retractable textile roof, and derives from Cabriolet. It is an inexpensive alternative to a full convertible, especially on cars with unibody designs since little or no redesign of the body is necessary.

This type of roof was perhaps most popular in Germany in the 1930s, and is often called a "Webasto" since a German company of that name has been the main supplier for both factory built, and aftermarket, cloth car roofs since that time.

This roof was used on many older cars such as the Mercedes-Benz Ponton, Saab 92, Citroën 2CV, Fiat 500, GAZ-M20 Pobeda and the Fuldamobil. Nash Rambler was available as a cabrio coach, but they called it "convertible landau".

A variant in which the original car/sedan's fixed rear glass window was retained first appeared in the 1930s, and had the advantage that it could be more easily retrofitted to an existing car; it was a factory option (although listed as a separate model) for the Volkswagen Beetle up to 1963. Some more modern cars also feature this roof style, for instance BMW 318ti, Volkswagen Polo, Nissan Figaro, Isuzu Amigo, Jeep Liberty and Suzuki Vitara.

See also

• Car classification
• Coachbuilder

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