Best of British: The UK’s most iconic convertibles

Ever fancied yourself behind the wheel of a classic convertible?

Us too.

And while recent weather has made that pipe dream feel even further away, we can at least sigh over all the cars we’ll never get to own, while picking out a decidedly more sensible car lease that suits the weather – and doesn’t cost the earth.

It’s well known that Britain is a nation known for many things. Not all of them great. But one thing we do exceptionally well is create cult style icons, especially when it comes to cars.

With automotive giants such as Austin, Jaguar Land Rover and BMC under our belts, it’s fair to say we’ve had a good crack at the whip when it comes to designing high-performance, beautiful cars.

And, when staring out of the window at Carparison HQ, you can often find us daydreaming about driving one of these beauties down winding country lanes on a balmy summers evening, with the roof down, the wind in the hair and the last of the sun on our faces.

Fanciful thinking, perhaps. Sadly, we don’t have a classic convertible to hand to fulfil any of these daydreams. 

But we can write about them.

And while we don't want you to get too attached, there are plenty of great, modern models worthy of your consideration if this whets your appetite for a convertible car lease.

Without further ado, we present to you our top six most iconic British convertibles of all time.

1.  Jaguar E-Type

If you were ever to award a Hollywood Star to an automobile, the Jaguar E-Type would have to be high among the contenders.

Heavily featured in silver screen stalwarts such as the Austin Powers trilogy and stylish series Mad Men, the luxury convertible is the aesthetic epitome of all things Swinging Sixties.

The E-Type – one of the most iconically British cars to ever live – was first manufactured in 1961, and continued its production run into 1975. Alas, in the bid for everyday luxury, the next generation of drivers turned their attention to German heavyweights BMW and Mercedes, and the E-Type was left in the dust.

That said, it was and is a vehicle famed for its beauty, high performance and competitive pricing.

The first iterations boasted a top speed of 150mph, and it could sprint from 0-60mph in just seven seconds. Unlike other sports cars of the time, it featured rack and pinion steering, and independent front and rear suspension.

And it was described at launch by automotive extraordinaire Enzo Ferrari as ‘the most beautiful car ever made’.

Who are we to disagree?

2.  Triumph Spitfire

Up next, another beautiful example of British craftsmanship in the form of the simply stunning Triumph Spitfire.

Originally styled by Italian designer Giovanni Michelotti in 1957, the Spitfire was named after the infamous World War II fighter plane. The obvious connotations of British stoicism worked in its favour, and the Spitfire quickly became a firm favourite with car lovers everywhere.

Michelotti’s design efforts came to fruition a few years later.

The first Spitfire rolled off the production line in 1962 and made its dazzling debut at the London Motor Show. It was a front-engineered, rear-wheel drive, two-passenger triumph – and not just in name.

Over its 18-year production run and five different iterations, approximately 315,000 Spitfires were made.

It became the car of choice for drivers both on the road and in rally racing communities, proving once and for all that it wasn’t all style and no substance, going on to win numerous accolades.

For example, the Spitfire won numerous SCCA National Sports Car Championships in F&G production classes. In 1964, it won its class at the Tour de France rally, finishing second overall. A few months later, it also went on to win at the Geneva Rally. Then, in 1965, it won its class at the Alpine Rally.

You get the picture. It’s a beautiful car that delivers.

The final Triumph Spitfire ever to be assembled was lovingly created in Canley in 1980, before the factory closed its doors for good. It was a UK Inca Yellow model with factory hardtop and overdrive, a thing of true beauty.

So important was the design to the automotive world that the final Spitfire never actually made it to public sale. Instead, it was put on display in the British Motor Museum, where it remains to this day, for all to admire.

3.  MG Roadster

No British convertible round-up is complete without at least one MG, right?

The darling of the automotive legend British Motor Corporation (BMC), it's perhaps one of the most recognised and remembered UK-manufactured convertibles ever.

There were several versions of the MG, but the overall premise was the same – a two-door sports car with a progressive design that used a unitary structure instead of the traditional ‘body-on’ frame. The roadster came first, paving the way for its successors.

And it arguably remains the best MG.

Production ran from 1962 to 1980, and the car was an instant hit. Unlike previous sports cars, the MG Roadster made much better use of space for passengers and luggage, allowing it to straddle the line between luxury and practicality.

As with the Triumph Spitfire, the MG claimed a place in automotive history, and the final vehicle ever produced is on display at the Abingdon County Hall Museum – the same town in which it was manufactured.

4.  Austin Healey Sprite

In spectacular style, the Austin Healey Sprite was announced to the market in May 1958 – just two days after the Monaco Grand Prix.

It was cleverly billed as a low-cost model that ‘a chap could keep in his bike shed’, a moniker that felt suitably in line with the Cary Grant and Grace Kelly glamour of the decade. We’re on board. We’d love a little convertible that would fit in the bike shed.

Chaps and chappess’ alike, thank you.

The Sprite was a successor of the sporty versions of Austin’s pre-war Austin Seven (another hugely popular vehicle).

Known in the UK as ‘the frogeye’, the innovative upright headlight design made the vehicle stand out, and gave it a playful, cute appeal. It had originally been intended that the headlights be retractable, but cost-cutting at HQ led to the mechanism being scrapped.

It was designed by the Donald Healey Motor Company, and produced at the MG factory in Abingdon between 1958 and 1971, with the Mk II Sprite introduced in 1961.

At the same time, it was joined by a badge-engineered MG version known as the Midget. The Midget name was a revival of a name from a model produced in the 1920s and 30s, and together the duo became affectionately known as the Spridgets.

Austin Healey Sprites are now considered highly collectable, and retail on classic car sites for tens of thousands of pounds – a far cry from the original selling price of just £669 per unit.

5.  Jaguar XK8

A relative newcomer on the British convertible scene, the Jaguar XK8 exploded onto the market in 1996 (a very good year for birthdays if you ask me), and was a hotly anticipated addition to Jaguar’s fleet.

The Grand Tourer was the first generation of a shiny new XK series for the manufacturers, who were notoriously coy about launching new product lines. Historically, Jaguar’s recovery from obscurity in the 1980s relied on fine-tuning and revamping old models, and marketing them as a slice of British cultural heritage.

It was a genius and highly effective move, so by the time the XK8 was released, it was set to become an instant classic.

The initial launch car came as a two-door, four-litre engine coupe or convertible. Two years later, in 1998, a more powerful 4.2L version – named the XKR – was introduced, though both had an electronically limited top speed of 155mph.

In later versions, the traditional 2+2 seating arrangement was shaken up, and models were offered with an optional ‘Jaguar boot’, in which the small rear two seats were removed for increased luggage space.

6. Bentley Azure

An absolute heifer of a car, the Bentley Azure was the convertible to buy during the late ‘90s.

The epitome of elegance, the Bentley Azure retains the stately-home look of the Continental R, but without a roof. In a world where most convertibles are little sporty roadsters, many with only two-seats, the Bentley Azure bucked the trend. 

And looked good doing so.

The old-money aesthetic of the Bentley Azure is unmatched, and, though others have tried, nothing exudes glamour and sophistication in quite the same manner. It really is an impressive car. Anyone who was anyone wanted to be seen cruising around Cote d’Azur in an Azure, and we can’t blame them. 

If we could, we’d hop back in time and join them.

The Azure was designed by Pininfarina, after the Italian design house was tasked with turning the Continental R into a drop top. Their brief was that it needed to be luxurious and it needed to be long, and at a whopping five metres and almost three tonnes in weight, the brand certainly succeeded.

It comfortably sat four passengers, and despite its size, it could still move, with Bentley sparing no expense when it came to the engine under the big bonnet. 

But the glamour and excess and appeal of the Azure couldn’t last forever. After enjoying a few summers as the ‘It’ car, cruising around cities and coasts and countryside, the Bentley Azure soon dropped out of fashion. Rolls Royce debuted their own luxury four-seater cabriolet – the Corniche – in 2000, and it signalled the death knell for the Azure.

By 2002, only 78 were being built each year, and by 2010, the Bentley Azure’s days were over.