There are convertible cars with the option of a soft or hardtop. This means that you can choose to enjoy the wind in your air as you cruise down the highway. However, on days when the weather conditions do not permit or you are just not in the mood, you can put up the cover and be gone on your merry way.
Above this level exists another class of cars – the pure roofless creations that lack any kind of cover. The best you get is a windshield so that the wind does not rip your face off. Sports cars like these have always existed but there seems to be a renewed interest and carmakers like Ferrari, Bentley and Aston Martin have unveiled marque creations that tick off the 3 main boxes – high price tag, exclusivity and yes, zero roof.
10 Bentley Mulliner Bacalar
It is not often that Bentley launches a limited-edition model so the car world paid serious attention when the Mulliner Bacalar was unveiled to the public in March, 2020. The open-air luxury sports coupe is as premium as it gets; with interior trimmings that include 5,000-year old wood. The car is All-Wheel-Drive and will be powered by a 6.0-liter V12 engine that generates 650hp and 667 pound-feet of torque. There will only be 12 of these beauties; each priced at $1.9million and yes, they have all been sold.
9 Mercedes Benz SLR Stirling Moss
This was a special project by Mercedes Benz to pay homage to a racing legend, the late Sir Stirling Moss. The long-nosed car lacks a roof, windshield or side windows. It does however have small wind deflectors to protect the driver and passenger. They will definitely be needing it when they take the car out for a spin. Under that long hood lies a monster 649hp V8 engine that is supercharged for extra effect. It is enough to propel the car to a top speed in excess of 215mph. Now, you see why the wind deflectors are necessary.
8 Ferrari Monza SP2
The Monza SP1 and SP2 were introduced by Ferrari in 2018 to signal the beginning of a new Icona series – cars that blend retro-styling with cutting edge automotive technology. The Monza SP2 shares the same 6.5-liter V12 engine with the 812 Superfast but that’s where all similarities end. With this car, Ferrari created an innovative virtual wind shield, ahead of the instrument panel, that should help deflect wind above the occupants of the car. The lack of a roof did not deter customers who eagerly snapped up all the available allocations.
7 Aston Martin V12 Speedster
Aston Martin did not take long to get in on the roofless car-craze that seems to be sweeping through the automotive world. The V12 Speedster is an elegantly designed machine that’s bound to turn more than a few heads wherever it shows up. The V12 powerplant is turbocharged and can pump out as much as 690hp, good enough for a 3.5 second sprint to 60mph. Imagine that acceleration with the wind rushing at you. Each Speedster will set you back almost a million dollars but the real bummer here is that they are track-only machines.
6 McLaren Elva
McLaren first confirmed that it was building an Ultimate Series open-top hypercar in August, 2019. An initial 399 units were planned but that number has since been slashed by 150. McLaren executives claimed, rather dubiously, that they wanted to keep the car exclusive. The more believable scenario is that they over estimated the demand and had to scale back to avoid an embarrassment. Whatever the reason, the Elva is a stunning beauty and the 815 horses under the hood means it will be no pushover on the open roads.
5 Lamborghini Aventador J
When Lamborghini built the Aventador Jota, they only wanted to display it at the 2012 Geneva Auto Show and show off their capabilities. The car clearly looks like the regular Aventador but interestingly, most of the body panels are unique and were developed just for the Jota. As the story goes, one of Lamborghini’s loyal customers saw the car, fell in love and made them ‘an offer they could not refuse.’ Who can blame him? Just take a look at the sleek profile of the V12 bull!
4 Vermot Veritas RS III
The Veritas RS III was limited to 30 planned units and priced at half a million dollars back in 2009. However, the main surprising fact about the car was a complete lack of electronic driving aids. This low-slung roofless car was built for the that driver with a craving for some high-octane adrenaline action. The car is powered by a BMW sourced V10 engine that is capable of generating 507hp. That power will get the Veritas RS III to a top speed of 215mph.
3 Westfield XI
This English kit car is based on the 1950s era Lotus Eleven and was designed for those who wanted some old-school style race car experience on the roads. No two Westfield XIs are exactly alike due to the way they were assembled using a variety of parts. However, the cars were capable of generating up to 100hp. They could also get to 60mph in under 10 seconds which feels quite fast when you are sitting in a car as low to the ground as the Westfield XI.
2 Ariel Atom
The Ariel Atom is a lightweight, high performance sportscar built by Ariel Motor company in England and under license in North America by TMI Autotech. This road-rocket is capable of performances that make you wonder why it’s road-legal. The 2020 Ariel Atom 4 needs less than 3 seconds to hit 60mph and it will continue accelerating until it maxes out at 162mph. There’s no roof and you will be lucky if the wind does not rip you out of your seat as the car powers down an open road stretch.
1 Lamborghini Veneno Roadster
First it was the ultra-exclusive Veneno Coupe that was launched but then wealthy customers clamored for more and the Veneno Roadster was born. It still was not for everyone; only 9 units were built with each priced at an eye-watering $4.5million. The Veneno Roadster lacks any kind of roof and you will be treated to the unfiltered roar of the massive 6.5-iter V12 that produces up to 740hp. The Veneno Roadster can accelerate to 60mph in 2.9 seconds and will keep going until it hits a top speed of 220mph.