The 1959 Cadillac Eldorado Biarritz had Pizzazz – from the grille, to the leather, to the big fins, it lived large. Moreover, it cost large – $7401 – a fortune.
The people who invented pizzazz, Detroit’s Big Three, have all but ditched some of the more alluring coupes and convertibles that once were their shining stars.
A study of the 2013 Ward’s Automotive Yearbook shows a meager stable of domestic coupes and convertibles compared to a long list for these models offered by foreign-based competitors.
Ford Motor for example, sports only one offering: Mustang in both configurations. General Motors doubles that with the Chevrolet Camaro and Corvette, but Cadillac has GM’s only other coupe, the CTS. As for Chrysler Group, chalk up the Chrysler 200 convertible, Dodge Challenger coupe plus the Fiat 500 and Viper coupes/convertibles and that’s it for the hometown team.
The U.S. market has shifted over the last 25 years toward 4-door sedans and SUVs, but plenty of folks still love the pizzazz provided by coupes and ragtops. Honda Motor apparently agrees. Its brisk-selling Civic and Accord – both in the Top ten sales list month after month – still include coupes. Toyota Motor’s Scion brand’s iQ and tC are offered only as 2-door models. Toyota’s Lexus brand includes the IS convertible and LFA coupe.
Nissan Motor offers the 370Z as a coupe and convertible and the Altima SR, GT-R and the Infiniti G Class as coupes. Among the other Japanese automakers, Mazda Motor’s long-popular Miata convertible continues rolling along while Mitsubishi Motor’s GS is marketed in both configurations.
The German automakers’ ranks are loaded with coupes and convertibles. Pizzazz.
Daimler AG’s Mercedes, for example, has coupes in the C Class, CL and E Class, including a convertible as well in the latter, and a coupe-convertible version of its Smart model. BMW AG has both iterations in the 1, 3 and 6 series and Mini plus a Z4 sport coupe. Volkswagen AG includes the Beetle in both categories plus the Eos convertible, while its Audi brand offers the R8 and S5 coupes/convertibles and the TT RS coupe. Porsche AG’s 911Carrera comes in both architectures while Boxster is a convertible and Cayman a coupe.
Jaguar, now owned by India’s Tata Motors, has both a ragtop and coupe in its XK model. Volvo, now owned by China’s Geely Automobile Holdings, offers a convertible version of its C70 model.
There was a time when U.S. automakers introduced new models on day one in four distinct body designs – 4-door sedan, 2-door coupe, station wagon and convertible. There were also specialty models like the Cadillac Eldorado and Buick Riviera luxury coupes, the Lincoln Continental and Chrysler Imperial.
Reports are circulating that GM may soon revive the Riviera, while Lincoln is taking a hard look at how to revive its sagging fortunes and Chrysler is mulling its luxury-car options in collaboration with Fiat.
The time may be ripe for Detroit to come out slugging with a return to the pizzazz that wowed generations of car buyers. And that should include a goodly sampling of coupes and ragtops, which at the moment are hard to find in their lineups.
If you want more Pizzaz they need to stop letting engineers run automakers.