(first posted 6/18/2014) No, that’s not Megan Draper modeling these designer convertible tops for 1961 Buicks. For that matter, these (sadly) never got past the concept stage. But someone found these pics from a GM Design Center photo shoot, and they sure make for nice viewing. Which one will it be for you?
Or how about Betty Draper in and with a nice houndstooth check? Mustn’t forget to put on gloves when getting a nice dress on.
Or polka dots, and a saucy face to go with them?
I like the one sitting on the trunk lid of the first photo…oh you mean tops…
The black and white job hurts my eyes, but it is the only one I could live with.
Betty or Megan…Betty or Megan.
Betty, I’m a sucker for blondes
A guy could be beat up for driving something like that.
Of course, leave it it to Ma Mopar to actually do it. There’s even a site with everything you ever wanted to know about the ’69-’70 Mod Top cars….
http://www.mooresmopars.com/modregistry.html
With a 340 not many could catch a Barracuda.With yellow paint and that Paisley pattern roof and seats not many wanted too
The Mod Top was the first thing that came to mind when I saw the pics. As at Buick, it should never have gotten past the idea stage.
You’re right about that.Rare doesn’t always mean good!
Don Draper, the mad man ,traded Bettys for the 62 Sedan de Ville Wayne talked him into… Oh bad joke…
Could you get Mod Tops with Hi Impact colours?
The Barracuda had a yellow or green floral pattern, which did not match the High Impact orange or butterscotch they had that year.
However, Dodge’s floral top was to be paired by Rally Green, which may have been considered a High Impact color that year (but I can’t remember).
Didn’t the first Gran Coupes use re-dyed Mod Top pattern vinyl? Saw a comment the other day that it was re-dyed Imperial fabric, but I don’t remember Imps ever having a paisley vinyl top option.
I think it was my comment, and it went the other way around. The Mod Top had not sold well, and they had tons of the fabric sitting around. Someone got the idea that they could save a bunch of money and dye the Mod Top paisley vinyl burgundy (actually print it burgundy, IIRC) for a Burgundy vinyl roof to be offered only on the Imperial. Unfortunately, the burgundy printing process was not very weatherproof, and the pattern would bleed through.
I do not know about the Gran Coupe vinyl roofs.
The Gran Coupe used a luxurious paisley pattern that wasn’t anywhere related to the floral Mod Tops.
Here’s a pic of the Imperial’s available tops:
http://www.hamtramck-historical.com/images/dealerships/colorAndTrim/1971/71_Chrysler_tops_Stripes_Accents_1.jpg
Ford offered a dealer installed package called “Branded Mustang” in 1968 with patterned tops similar to the Mopar Mod Tops. There were two kits available, one for ’65-66 and one for ’67-68.
This car was restored by the shop that did my ’64 1/2 RST Performance Wyano, PA
http://mustangattitude.com/cgi-bin/specialmustang.cgi?year=1967&model=&smod=Branded&optn=&name=Branded%20Mustang
Mercury also made a special edition ’67 Cougar with a red/black houndstooth vinyl top. The family of one of the kids I went to grade school in the ’60s had a ’67 XR7 with the option.
Wow – never even seen reference to this one before!
I rather like Houndstooth and have it in the interior of my 1959 Metropolitan Nash FHC .
-Nate
Houndstooth was an interior option in late 60s & early 70s Holdens. Not just black & white, you could get a black & orange & black & green.
The last two were positively lurid.
And the Mini Moke could be had with a floral roof & seats too.
I’m guessing it sold because if you wanted not-vinyl upholstery, that was it?
There’s always the 1970 Mercury Cougar with the Pauline Trigere package. Houndstooth top and matching interior available in brown and black or black and white. A matching cape was included….
A Cougar with 2 more cougars,no it’s not me I was 13 then.
Thats a deal, what other car gives you a matching cape?
For $143, the 1955-56 Dodge La Femmes gave their buyer a matching purse, makeup case, rainwear, and brolly. There also appear to be crocheted tea-cozies over the pedals, but those could be aftermarket:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dodge_La_Femme
On the back of the drivers seat was a compartment that contained a raincoat, rain bonnet and umbrella, all made from a vinyl patterned to match the rosebud interior fabric. Marketing brochures stated that the car was made “By Special Appointment to Her Majesty… the American Woman.”
I thought that Houndstooth made it out into the wild. I think somebody had a black and white one out as well.
My ’69 Camaro had the houndstooth interior.
I could swear that my ‘84 Ford Escort had a small-patterned houndstooth fabric on the seats, in black and gray, but I can’t seem to find any photos online.
If these had been made Buick probably wouldn’t have the blue rinse image it was saddled with.
Only ever saw one Mod Top Mopar a blue Plymouth Satellite,a rolling restoration.I’ve long suspected industrial espionage to have been rife in Detroit
That image soon would change with the introduction of the Wildcat and some hot engine/4 speed manual combinations.
I saw a GS400 smoke a Dodge Coronet at the drag strip.Youngsters were amazed Buick made cars like that!
One of my favorite cars of all time was my friend Suzy’s red/ red interior 65 Wildcat convertible with the 465/four speed manual that she had when I met her in 67. It was a rare combination even when new – what a great car. Definitely not blue rinse though Buick still made cars for those folks, too.
You know that engine was a 425 and not a 465, right?
Buick used to rate its engines, not by displacement, but by lb.-ft. of torque produced. Four sixty-five sounds like enough to counter rotate the earth.
When you think about it, its sort of odd that nobody ever developed a wider selection of materials for replacement convertible tops. Even when they were mostly vinyl, you generally only saw black or white except on Cadillacs or Lincolns.
In the mid 60s, a blue convertible top was available on Mopars (Chryslers at least), but only with particular paint and interior colour combinations. Such as this one.
https://www.curbsideclassic.com/uncategorized/parts-chasing-road-trip-sudbury-saturday-night/
I was reminded of that limited top selection when I saw one of these blue on blue Lincoln Continental convertibles recently.
I seem to recall that GM offered red convertible tops in the BOP lines in the 60’s.
Friends father was a doctor who bought a new convertible every year or two. Always got white with white top and a lot of horsepower. Always bought Chrysler stuff until mid 1960s when they insisted he get the one with the blue top that they were pushing. Would not even special order for him. He wound up in a 66 or 67 GTO convertible with white top. Huge fun for us! Never had Chrysler after that.
Wow that is from 1961? I am not surprised Buick never did this since it was still “Camelot” and a few years before people loosened up and let their hair down.
HA! I shared this with my Facebook group “America in the 1960s” last week, and am pleasantly surprised to see it go CC-viral. Here’s another– this duckface comes courtesy of the 1960 Imperial.
That Imperial duckface is classic! The girl on the trunklid has a trendy Jackie Kennedy hairstyle, perfect for the times. The polka dot top looks like a giant Wonder Bread wrapper. What a great find, thank God they never put these into production. An early version of the Mod 70’s. (Swinging 60’s?) The Houndstooth on seats actually was not that bad, I saw a few on 70’s VW’s. But it doesn’t carry over well on tops.
Priceless!
Amazing. Makes me think of a cartoon duck I can’t quite place. Seems like the duck sometime wore an aviator cap.
Kinda reminds me of this fella.
Houndstooth- so it matches the trunk mat!
The cars of the 60s and 70s were so much more colorful, While I have never seen a patterned convertible top in the wild, I did see a dealer installed houndstooth check vinyl roof on a Volvo 164 of all things back in 1974.
I could live with the houndstooth checkered pattern…
I prefer hard tops I had hounds tooth seats in a Holden and put seat covers over them.
What, no gold lame’ or sequins?
The houndstooth would be better if the hounds’ teeth were smaller. Like about 1/3 the size.
Interesting duckface with the Imperial.
Isn’t that round steering wheel rarer ,than the square shaped one you usually see on the 60 Imperials?
Here’s a twofer – Madeline Kahn’s and Sonia Delauney’s fashion cars! http://www.burningsettlerscabin.com/?tag=high-anxiety
Never has the difference between fashion and style been so clear.I wish i hadn’t seen this
Mercury offered a houndstooth vinyl top on the 1970, in both black and white and brown/brown as seen here.
IIRC a friend’s Mom had a 70 Mustang with a paisley vinyl top.
Nothing worse than paying a premium price for a premium car only to have it clash with your wifes premium outfit. Being rich isn’t always as easy as it seams.
When I was in high school, early sixties, a kid a year or two older had a 50 or 51 Ford with a plaid convertible top. Car was 10 or more years old by then so I’d have to assume it was aftermarket.
I’d like the second girl, posing with the houndstooth pattern roof, but she would be over 80 years old by now!
When you consider the time period, none of the patterned tops seem too outlandish. The issue is that buyers tend to be conservative, going for something that does not stand out, nor is too different, lest they be judged as odd or eccentric. Perhaps they should have gone bigger and bolder, just to be outrageous, or smaller, more refined, to try to catch the eye of those who appreciate small details. They did the middle, and it was not a happy middle. The 1970s did seem to accept the new patterned stuff a bit, but the craze never caught on. Like anyone being fashion-forward, setting a trend is not easy. You can be the first to sport a look, only to also be the last person sporting it.
I’m looking for a deep burgundy. Convertible top for a 1968 Buick, Electra, 2225.
With glass window Stay fast canvas