This past Saturday had Cody and me itching to get out of the house, sending us on an impromptu trip to Indianapolis with the stated goal of finding vintage clothing. Once we realized that we were in no mood to try anything on or spend money, we headed back to Bloomington after a quick walk. It would appear we had good timing, as we came across this converted CR-X on route 37 which connects the two cities. Thank God, too, because with so many stops and left-lane hogs–like the driver of this car–the two of us deserved something interesting to look at.
This CRX is a pretty clean conversion from three-door fastback to two-door convertible, if I do say so myself. I suspect it’s one of a handful of Straman ragtops, which number in the hundreds (I’ve read figures from about 150 to 350 units total). The lettering on the side is misleading and sloppy, like a cheap knock off of a graphics package which never existed from the factory to begin with. In looking up pictures of Straman CRX convertibles, I could find no examples similarly defaced. Let’s remind ourselves what the font is supposed to look like…
…that’s better, innit? I was explaining to Cody how well done the custom decklid was and how much I liked the large, blocky taillights. He probably couldn’t have cared less, but he took pictures for me since I was driving. He is a tolerant man of exquisite taste, so I know that he’d choose an agreeable car if left to his own devices, but he’s more interested in the process of production, procurement and marketing than in cars themselves. His willingness to take pictures and listen to me prattle on therefore makes him a real sport.
It was impossible to get pictures of the front or left side of the car without likely making the driver uncomfortable, but I can confidently inform you that the front of the car does not have the flush-mounted headlamps which signify a post-facelift ’86 or ’87. The wheels are less decisive, since the front is hiding beneath the wheel cover used on the Civic S, sedan and CRX from ’84 to ’85 while the rear wheel is from an ’84 or ’85 CR-X HF, but they do point to a rather indifferently maintained classic. This is quite possibly used as a daily driver, though I certainly hope that’s not the case.
This car, on non-stock wheels, with low-back front seats, is an ’86 or ’87 as is evidenced by the interior door trim, but it’s a good example of what these look like with the top down in more presentable shape (and without smeared, dead mosquitos obscuring the view).
Here’s a feature from when the car was new. The CRX was a light car that was very refreshing during the dark ages of the early-mid ’80s, so the idea of a convertible variant makes sense, but let’s consider how unremarkable such a car would have been when the factors of weight and torsional rigidity are taken into account. No wonder Honda never bothered.
But hey, unremarkable isn’t the same as undesirable. The 1980s was a great decade for convertibles, and if you wanted a custom job, you could find one. Perhaps a 300ZX or CRX convertible to go with your Hess and Eisenhardt Cutlass Ciera? Or a Baur 320i to go with your quasi-official ASC Celica? It’s a fantasy which is best kept in a retro Southern California paradise, free of pot holes, winters, or extreme humidity.
The Straman CRX should nevertheless be remembered as hugely flattering to Honda’s stylists, who created a cheap two-seater able to find a small following as a custom rag top. That sort of desirability was rare among Japanese cars in its price class, a fact not lost on VW, who was able to move Cabriolets even during their darkest years in the late ’90s.
If Honda wanted to take a bite out of that market, they’d have had a harder time doing so with the larger 1988 model which, lacking the original car’s forward slanting B-pillar and simple lines, came across as a stubbier convertible (not done by the Straman Company). But most of you are quite familiar with these lithe little cars and for now, sharing this little find is much more satisfying than telling the CRX’s story in full.
Sweet looking cars. I’ve never heard of Straman before.
As a child of the 80s in Florida I remember these well. Back then we thought any car (or truck!) was better as a convertible and a lot of the conversions ended up here because of the weather. My best friend got an ’87 CRX Si for his 17th bday so we knew about these convertible conversions too… Wanted one bad. Instead his dad got an ’87 Trans Am convertible as a second car they were going to “share”… Another fairly rare conversion, ASC this time IIRC, but sold though the dealers. I don’t think I ever saw his dad drive that TA, it was ours to use whenever we wanted. Yes he was spoiled rotten, but being his friend had some good perks lol.
Somewhere in a disintegrating cardboard box at the back of my parents’ garage, I have that exact issue of R&T. I also have the C/D article with that wacky twin-engine CRX that c&d built with the help of Mugen racing.
The weirdest convertible conversion I ever saw was a late 80’s two door Chevy Celebrity. It was around 2001-2002, and I was working as a lube / light line mechanic at the now defunct La Brea Chevrolet. The ragtop Celebrity was sitting in the recent trade-ins scetion of the lot. It was in excellent shape, and the conversion itself was first rate. It had proper retracting rear quarter windows, and a high quality canvas top instead of a cheap vinyl one.
The biggest downer was the color scheme- royal purple with a burgundy top. Ugh. I have to wonder what type of person would bother with turning a Celebrity into a convertible ( it was a top notch job and obviously not cheap ) and then do it up in such a nauseating palette.
Just a few years ago I spotted this same Celebrity sitting in a locked and gated lot in downtown L.A., still in immaculate condition. Wish I knew who owned it.
Despite the car’s clean condition and excellent workmanship, I still have one nagging question. A Celebrity. Custom convertible. WHY???
Well there was an outfit that made Cutlass Ciera convertables in the 1980’s. If you watched the A-Team, the A-Team’s reporter friend drove one for several episodes. I saw one of those up close and it was top notch construction.
This is quite appealing, and I was never drawn to the standard CRX.
How to make a CRX look like a GEO…
I’m not sure it’s a DD, CRXs decay rapidly in Illinois and considering this one has been under the knife with a massive controlled leak(aka a convertible top seal) this has an astoundingly clean looking body. I’d suspect the owner is an enthusiast and like any self respecting enthusiast they probably have a small stash of spare wheels that may or may not match.
It’s too bad Honda did not mass produce this car as it would have had a 5 year head start on Mazda’s Miata. Honda also missed out on not offering the City in the USA, which also came in a convertible.
I so agree. There are many things Honda missed out on by not offering certain models here in North America.
Honda offered American Honda the first City, but the U.S. organization didn’t want it.
I wish, although they could keep the super awkward looking convertible model… just bring me that sweet little grenade the City Turbo.
I seem to remember there being a bunch of U.S. interest in the kei car droptops that were briefly popular in Japan during the 90s, but I don’t know how feasible that would’ve been with safety regulations and everything. A lot of these cars are now just about at the age where they can be imported legally.
When the Beat and Cappuccino came out, the U.S. press asked Honda, Suzuki, et al that exact same question (re: feasibility for U.S. safety standards) and the answer was, “Really not at all.”
That is a very appealing conversion. Looks so natural.
Doesn’t it, though? The decklid was handled particularly well and the forward slant of the B-pillar matches the angle of the top, rather than fighting against it.
It’s really quite a shock to see this daily driver with Illinois plates slugging across southern Indiana on mismatched wheels, since only 150-300 of them were made.
Decklid is the boot trunk lid from a sedan its a mix and match of Honda sedan/hatch panel parts, looks good though I must admit
Not from the sedan.
The trunk lid looks like it could have started out on a Prelude. Perhaps some of the rear quarter panels as well.
I’m shocked at how good this looks, especially with the top up! That’s where a lot of convertibles lose my interest. Never knew such a thing existed either, despite being a pretty big Honda nut. This looks ridiculously fun to drive, although I do agree – if they’ve turned it into a wet noodle then at least half of the CRX’ fundamental appeal is gone.
Really impressive find!
Thank you; this has been my most remarkable find, in terms of rarity. White, of course.
Like some others, I have been schooled on this one. I don’t believe I ever knew about these, and with all of the car mag publicity, I’m not sure how that happened.
It really is amazing what a guy can see in the wild. So glad you took this little trip!
I didn’t know of these either, but it does look remarkably well-done. Shades of the later Del Sol?
That car is in great shape for a daily driver that is almost 30 years old. Great find! And I think this might have been one of the first issues of R&T that I bought with m allowance.
The Straman conversion looks like it could have come from the factory.
This looks much prettier! http://www.motorgems.com/?p=258
Mine is the silver one pictured above, at this point we have confirmed 126 had been converted from 84-88. Mine is #103 and I also have #8, these cars are built really well as mine has quite a bit less body flex then my standard unconverted 87 crx does.
The trunk lid was fabricated for this car and was not adapted from any other model. It is a blast to drive and I do so as often as weather allows, it’s just way to hot here to drive a convertible in the summer(100+)
By the way nice find, I did not have this one in my Straman library.
And mine is the red car in the picture. Early production ’84 CRX and early Straman conversion. Could possibly be the oldest known surviving Straman CRX based on its early VIN. Unfortunately, Straman missed putting a top stamp number on my convertible frame to know for sure.
I’ve owned a couple of convertibles from the period: ’82 Dodge 400, ’84 Mustang, and an ’85 Celica GT-S (which is a partial factory conversion convertible). The Straman by far has the most rigid body of the bunch.
It is worth noting that in the 1990 book ‘Miata Mazda MX-5’ by Jack Yamaguchi, the Straman CRX was one of the cars used to inform the design of the Miata. If you are interested in any of the Straman convertibles: https://www.facebook.com/groups/56345869254/