My name is Steven Fowler, and Paul recently invited me to start posting some of my automotive Photoshops on this site. I’m currently a college student studying animation (no, not like Pixar, more like Looney Tunes. Yes, my career choice is as obsolete as my taste in cars), and I am crazy about classic cars. I’ve been obsessed with hardtops since I first learned about them about seven years ago (It’s not that I was oblivious to them, just that I was born over a decade after the last ones disappeared from showrooms), and one of the things I like to do in my spare time is edit pictures of cars to turn them into hardtops, convertibles, station wagons, and other unique creations. This is the first post in a series of “What If?” articles, which should offer a glimpse into a parallel universe where things didn’t happen quite the same way they did here. I have quite a few ideas already lined up for future posts, but if anyone has any ideas they’d like to see, mention them in the comments and I’ll see what I can do.
Today’s feature: What if the hardtop wasn’t axed when the Chevrolet Caprice was downsized for 1977?
What If? bonus: What if the Caprice Classic Coupe wasn’t discontinued?
Nice studies!
Mazda, Toyota , Mitsu & Nissan offered a few pillarless JDM models into the 90s.
They would’ve been sort-of-hardtops, as they all had the centre pillar. While the W124 E-Klasse and W140 S-Klasse Mercedes coupes both were pure HT.
While it’s true that many of them were “pillared hardtops,” and that’s all we ever got in the US via Lexus, Subaru, and others, there were actually countless true hardtops available in Japan, including some four-doors. I’m not a big fan of Japanese cars, but I’d love to own something like a Mazda Persona or Toyota Carina ED, if only for the uniqueness factor.
We have lots of pillarless Jappas as used imports they would have problems with side impact regs when new as most JDM cars have no side impact door bars at all.
Actually, I bought my first Nissan Laurel simply because it was a true pillarless hardtop sedan and looked awesome with the windows all down. It was a 1992 C33 model – like the one pictured below. The seatbelts could be disconnected from the roof, to become just lapbelts – it made the car look way more cool when cruising! The centre pillars were heavily reinforced where they attached to the floor. But I saw a C33 Laurel that had been in a head-on crash, and was amazed (and shocked) at how much the roof buckled down mid-way along each side – if there’d been full pillars I imagine the damage would have been less.
I could be wrong, but I think when the C33 Laurel went out of production in 1993 it was the last true pillarless 4-door sedan in the world?
Its C34 series (1993-1997) replacement gained a full-height (but narrow) pillar, like a Subaru Legacy’s. The C34’s replacement, the C35 (one of which I currently own), retained the very thin full-height pillar with frameless glass. Side visibility is excellent, but not nearly as superb as the true pillarless one. Of the few JDM pillarless sedans left by the late 80s, the various Nissans (Laurel, Cedric, Gloria, Cima) and the Mazda 929 are all obsessions of mine. One day I’ll have another. Maybe a ’73 Cadillac Sedan De Ville, my ultimate 4-door hardtop! 🙂
I wouldn’t sully the perfection that is the ’77 Caprice in such a manner.
At the very least the doors wouldn’t close with that easy, satisfying “thunk”.
The GM hardtops of the era required a pitchers wind up to to seal the door on the first try.
What a hoot! Thanks, Steven. Can I put in a request for a four-door ’81 Cordoba? Or a four-door Mark VII for Phoenix? How about an ’86 Mercury Sable hardtop coupe? An Infiniti J30 four-door convertible? Man, this gets silly in a hurry. 🙂
Calm down now. I didn’t expect such a big response, a lot of people apparently have ideas about what they’d like to see. I’ll write down everyone’s suggestions and see which ones look like something I’d be able to do, and maybe in a couple weeks I’ll have a “requests only” post.
While you’re mulling that 81 Cordoba, how about the Cordoba/Mirada as a convertible. The Mirada in particular had a very appealing look with the fake convertible top. Would love to see these in a “topless” setup. Great work on these photos!
I’ve always been intrigued by the ’77 Chevrolet Impala 2-door with the “creased” rear window. My understanding is that the window was manufactured with a wire embedded at the position of the crease. The wire was connected to electricity – heating the wire like a toaster element. The glass could then be “creased” into its final form.
You’re correct- You can see the wire if you take a close look at the crease on one of these coupes.
To my knowledge, the technology was used on two cars- the Impala/Caprice Coupes, and the 77/78 Toronado XS.
Here’s a link to the Toronado: http://www.flickr.com/photos/mtnman867/4291370949/
And then it was never used again….makes you wonder why?
They used that process 2 more times. One for the Monte Carlo Aero Coupe and one for the 86 Grand Prix 2+2. (they looked identical but won’t interchange)
Hehehehehehe…
That 77 Impala/Caprice coupe was the last really good looking big 2 door from GM (or anyone else, for that matter). Your 2 door hardtop treatment takes the car to a new level – Chevy should have made this. However, I am willing to concede that the era of the 4 door hardtop was dead by 1977. Come to think of it, though, the 1979-82 Mopar R body (New Yorker, Newport, St. Regis, Gran Fury) split the difference with a center pillar but with frameless door glass. Unfortunately, that one died off too quickly.
I too have a fondness for the hardtop. They seem to have lived longer in Japan, and it is a shame that we never got any of them. The last one that comes to my mind was the Mitsubishi-built Dodge Challenger in the early 80s.
Is Mercedes CL the only remaining hardtop? It looks excellent in my opinion.
Looking at the illustrations, I reckon all cars would look better without B pillar.
Even a ’57 Studebaker.
Or a 58 like this one?
There has been a small resurgence in hardtops lately. You can find new ones from Mercedes-Benz (who never stopped making them, both in midsize and full size), Rolls-Royce, Bentley, and other ultra-luxury brands, and pretty much every concept car of the past decade has been a hardtop, but even when it seems like a no brainer (such as the Challenger and Camaro with their massive C pillars) they always add a B pillar before production. Also, there are tons of “fake hardtops” out there (cars with no true B pillar but fixed rear windows that can’t roll down), from companies like Jaguar, Aston Martin, and Audi, even the Chrysler Crossfire was an example.
With today’s high strength low weight materials it doesn’t seem like there are any structural reasons why hardtops don’t make a comeback. Some blame air conditioning, but I don’t buy it. I love air conditioning more than almost anything (I was born and raised in Texas until I was able to flee to Chicago for college), but I still roll the windows down on the days when the weather is right. Plus, even with the windows up hardtops have drastically improved visibility. I know they aren’t perfect, although I’ve never owned one, but to me they are like convertibles. I’d be willing to put up with eccentricities in order to drive such an elegant car.
The bigger deterrent for manufacturers is the cost of roll-down windows in a coupe body. It’s the same reason the ’78-’87 GM A-bodies and first-year Chrysler K-cars had fixed rear glass on the sedans and wagons.
The premium brands can pull it off because their true hardtops are not cheap cars. Ford’s not going to bother in a $22k Mustang when most buyers wouldn’t even notice.
That small thud you just heard was Zachman’s head exploding… 😛
Maybe because I never got to live through it I’ve found hardtops interesting but never really desired to own one. My grandmother’s second husband had a 1977 Malibu Classic with frameless glass (can’t remember if it was a hardtop or not) but all I remember is poor window sealing. Although looks-wise, those pics are pretty freaking cool.
Big difference between frameless glass and a true hardtop.
Google an early 70s GM big body sedan (ie: deVille, 98, Electra) and look for pictures of the car with all 4 windows down and at least one of the doors open, then you can see why hardtops were so cool.
Interesting caveat to frameless glass doors: these days, many of them have a special feature to ensure a tighter fit. Years ago I had a BMW coupe with frameless glass. I was surprised the very first day when I brought it home, that when you open the door, the glass automatically drops a 1/4 inch, and when you close it, it goes back up. Pretty cool.
Lincoln did this on the rear door glass on the 4 door convertibles in the 60s. It was apparently the only way to get a decent fit.
The last Legacy/Outback with frameless windows (2005-09) has a very good fit and sealing – all without drop-to-open gismo, which tend to wear the mechanism and is prone to breakdown…
Dude I’ve seen true hardtops at car shows and the like I just worry about sealing. Anybody here ever driven a 15 year old one through the carwash? Are they hard to get weatherstripping for? Occasionally I’ll see a pre-1977 Caprice or Impala sedan as a hardtop and I do get a little lustful, but how hard are they to to restore?
As the owner of a 22 year old 300CE, I can safely say that taking an old hardtop through a car wash is not a great idea. It leaked a bit through the upper rear corner of the driver side window.
I talked to a few people with the MINI. Those cars quickly lower the glass when you open the door as well. Not good in areas that regularly get freezing rain, if you don’t park them in a garage. The window gets stuck so it won’t roll down, then you have to fight with it to get the door open or closed. No thanks!
T-birds had another solution to sealing frameless door glass. I spotted this at a car show this summer when someone opened their door I think it was a “squarebird”. It had a chrome strip at the top of the door about an inch tall, attached to the roof. When you opened the door the chrome strip flipped out. When you closed the door, the chrome strip flipped down over the top edge of the window.
@EducatorDan: When I am in too much of a hurry to hand-wash my Chryslers in the driveway, I take them to the DIY bay with the spray wand. When doing the windows, don’t point the strong spray directly at the window, or it will get around the edges of the glass and into the car. Replacement rubber weatherstripping is available for many cars from companies such as Steele Rubber, but it’s not cheap.
“When you opened the door the chrome strip flipped out. When you closed the door, the chrome strip flipped down over the top edge of the window.”
My dad’s 1955 Dodge Royal Lancer 2 dr. hardtop had this same feature. That car was a three-tone car: White roof, black middle, pink lower. A really sharp car. Exactly like this photo (not dad’s car):
Ouch, Dan! My head hurts!
Oh, the possibilities. Truth be told though, only the two-door models made sense as pillarless hardtops.
I studied the downsized Impala coupes closely back then to see how I could manufacture something to cause the back windows to roll down, though, as they were mounted in standard window channels and just bolted at the bottom below the beltline. Of course that was just in case I could afford one of these used, but family got in the way when I had the opportunity, so I suppose I’ll never find out.
There, my head feels better now.
If God had intended windows to roll down, he’d have never given man the brains to invent air conditioning.
This is true genius, I love this kinda stuff. I’m looking forward to seeing more of that on CC. I like counterfactual tales, and if I was better at photoshopping, I would try this for myself. Good stuff!
Good work Steven. I personally like the post but love your work and envy your skills.
Being a geezer I will probably never own a hardtop if I can help it. I remember the poor sealinf from rain and the wind noise that seemed tornadic. However, that does not diminish from your work and I envy your skills.
It would be nice to see some of the four door hardtops with their windows “up”, so to speak. Also, I would change the -91 four door into a four light. Six light hardtops don’t do very well. It would need a substantial redesign of the C-pillar, making the inner curve meet the curve of the door. Also, on the two-door -91, the C-pillar needs to be much thicker, to clear the glass of the rear wheel curve. As it is now, it is physically impossible to wind the windows down in the manner seen in the picture.
I thought I was the only one who worried about things like that. Every time I make one of these hardtops I face a moral dilemma over whether to just leave the car with physically impossible window placements or spend hours moving parts and lengthening chassis to make them fit. Luckily I’ve found a solution if I ever try to build myself a four door hardtop, and that would be to make the rear windows split like the first generation forward look Chryslers (I used to have a commercial on VHS that showed them in action, but I can’t find it anywhere online). For this one, my solution would be to use the rear quarter panel of a ’91, with that big beautiful fender skirt, but I don’t know if that would ruin the clean looks.
Also, the six-window design was a throwback to the six-windows from Cadillac and Buick in the late 1950s and early 1960s. I personally like it, but tastes do differ.
Also, when the reflections are too strong I do “windows up” versions, though since I switched from Photoshop to Corel Painter that hasn’t been as big a problem (the front view 1977 Caprice was originally a “windows up” hardtop until Paul pointed out that it looked too much like a standard sedan). You can see a few examples in my Flickr stream:
http://www.flickr.com/photos/obi1kenobi1/sets/72157626283886371/
The hardtop treatment certainly makes these cars look good, especially on the earlier square-bodies Caprices.
In the first pic, I assume the rear quarter glass is attached to the door. It would be strange to have that swing out with the door when the main window was rolled down.
The 2-door “bubble” caprice in the last pic seems to have an opening that is too large, to my eye. Maybe it would look good with a wider C-pillar, or keep the fixed rear quarter glass, and the leading edge of this window could be the track for another window that rolls down.
I like what you did with the C-pillar, adding what is now referred to as a “Hoffmeister kink”. A definite improvement over the original C-pillar treatment.
On a related note, I think fullsize 2-door hardtops could come back with some popularity if they added the “clamshell” mini suicide-doors like today’s extended-cab pickups, the Mazda RX-8 and some Saturns. Back when 2-door hardtops were popular, people just threw their kids into the back seat to bounce around. I have lots of experience putting kids in and out of a modern child seat in the back of a 2-door hardtop, which is quite awkward.
@BOC: The late bubbles did have a Hoffmeister, right from the factory. He didn’t add anything at all. This was the quickest pic I could find. (@ work and no time to research better)
It might be helpful if he had before and after pix to really appreciate what he has rendered.
Thanks for the clarification. I was comparing it to the pic above it and thought they all had that sharp point at the back edge of the rear quarter window.
No worries. That rendering of the 2 door bubble would have been pretty sweet!
Are you referring to a ’91 coupe? if so, I did happen to make one of those, I just didn’t include it in the article.
@Steven: Is the last image in the article not a ‘bubble’ coupe? Or is that a true two door hardtop? We used to confuse the terms, using coupe when we really meant two door hardtop (with a roomier roof line).
Regardless, nice work. If I weren’t so darn lazy, I’d set about doing some chops of my own.;)
I’m not sure I understand your question. I just meant that I did two versions, one of the 1991 model with the sharp edge and one of the 1996 with the Hoffmeister Kink. If you were talking about a two door sedan, though, I know that a few of those have actually been built by customizers (sorry if I misunderstood your question).
No worries. I think we (collectively) use the term hardtop coupe when referring to a two door hardtop. A coupe can be a hardtop, but not always. Sometimes I get too hung up on details.
I understand. I tend to get bugged by the term “hardtop sedan” because hardtop and sedan are two distinct body styles, but then again I also use that term a lot because it is more elegant and simple than “four door hardtop.”
The quarter glass would be attached to the door. Somewhat ungainly, but it was done on everything from the Rambler to the Cadillac Fleetwood, so it isn’t unheard of. That would be a way to separate the Chevrolets and Pontiacs from a larger Oldsmobiles, Buicks, and Cadillacs. I’ve designed a completely different system for those, which involves lengthening the chassis and placing the B pillar behind the rear door in order to keep those fabulous opera lamps. I’ll probably do a post about that idea some time in the future, but in the meantime you can see what I mean at my Flickr page:
http://www.flickr.com/photos/obi1kenobi1/5578559059/
The rear window on the coupe is very large, but I was going for the thin pillar arching roof look of the Mercedes-Benz CL600.
Personally I think adding mini doors kills the look of a two door hardtop (why not just buy a four door hardtop?), but I can see how that could be a big selling point.
Gorgeous! I grew up in the golden age of hardtops, and their replacement by four-door sedans is a sad thing. As hardtops these cars are transformed. In the Caprice Classic Coupe the roof’s graceful arch reinforces the other curves in a wonderful way.
I love everything counterfactual. Once I replaced the Edsel grille’s horse collar and lettering with simple thin vertical bars, rotated out of the side grilles, and it looked so much better.
Your work is photographic. I’m looking forward to many more. Thanks!
Count me in as one who wished he could realize his endless visual fantasies via photoshop, but hasn’t found the time (or ability) to do so. So you can be our proxy! How about a Pontiac Parisienne turned into a Star Chief, with wheelbase extension? Or……
I for one would wonder what Vista Cruisers would look like as Hardtop Wagons.
Wow, I can see I’m in good company here. My favorite body style of all time is the hardtop station wagon, I even created a Flickr group devoted to them:
http://www.flickr.com/groups/hardtopstationwagons/
I intend to do a feature in the future about hardtop wagons in general, and the Vista Cruiser will certainly be one of them.
Hardtop wagons! Thanks goodness I’m not the only one who loves these! Thanks for the Flickr group heads-up, some awesome examples there!
Nice photoshops 🙂 I like them! It could be interesting to see a 1978-81 Malibu coupe hardtop.
And if you enjoy some “what if”, here what a 1986 GTO would had look if GM had revived the GTO in the 1980s http://www.gminsidenews.com/forums/f28/what-if-1986-pontiac-gto-104565/#post2419269
I’ll work on that suggestion for a “reader request” post in the future.
That’s a good point about the Pontiac 2+2 being a GTO. In the 1960s the GTO and Oldsmobile 442 shared the same platform, and in the 1980s the 442 name was used on Oldsmobile’s version of the Grand Prix. It makes me wonder why they didn’t call that version the GTO.
Hi Steven,
Great job with the ‘chopping’ on the hardtops. I’d often thought that the first gen post 1977 B bodies would have made nice hardtops.
Having grown up and around hardtops, I do remember the poor sealing that was a common affliction of these cars, especially after you got some miles on the chassis. Flexible flyer, indeed.
Where are you going to school for animation? I’d be curious to know the techniques and software you’re using. I’ve not done much in the way of animation outside of some rotoscopes back in the 80’s. I’ve mostly stuck to graphic design and print production for the bulk of my career.
Good job and I hope to see more of your ‘chops!
I’m attending Columbia College Chicago, and the software I use most is pencil and paper, though we do occasionally use Toon Boom for coloring, since that’s what Disney and other major studios use.
Hey, a midwestern boy! Great. I’d have thought maybe some more well known software might be prominent, but my artwork stands still… 🙂
I’m assuming this is a bachelor-level program? Is there much chance to get a job in the midwest or will your future prospects be on the West Coast?
I wish I was from the midwest, but unfortunately I’m from Texas. I’d love to stay here in Illinois or one of the surrounding states, but I really have no idea what I’m going to do once I graduate. Most of the jobs in animation are now done by sweatshop labor in Korea and other Asian countries, so there’s not much of a job market for entry level animators in the US. It seems that the way most animators make it big these days is to do something on their own to get noticed on sites like YouTube, so while I’m still in school I’m working on building up a good demo reel. Canada also big on animation, as most of the best non-independent animated shorts of the past few decades have been made by the National Film Board of Canada.
You’re right, it’s a BFA degree. I’m thinking I might just use what I’ve learned to go after general graphic artist positions, because while those are also not plentiful they are more common than jobs in animation.
Steven: Your skills are really great in my humble opinion. I wish I had a few of them.
Have avoided hardtops due to a youth spent at a time when hardtops equaled leaks. But that isn’t why I am responding. I have read comments from you twice that indicate you are real pleased to have put Lubbock (pick your texas area) in your rear view mirror.
I just want you to know that I am real pleased that you have found the metropolis of your choice. I, went the other direction. From Chicago to the Houston area in 1981. I promise to avoid telling you if you would return the favor in the future. Everyone has their preferences and you will avoid POing anyone if you leave it out of the commentary.
While I have no lust for hardtops, I sure do hope you continue to lend your considerable talents to CC.
Thanks
Well, good luck in your career. I was wondering how it would work for an entry level animator, as I knew the bulk of it is done overseas. I hope the YouTube thing works out, as it seems to have launched some unlikely (OK, to me unlikely-Justin Bieber? WTF?) careers. Post a link when you get it completed.
If I might add: If you’re going to go after general graphics positions, get some seat time with the Big Four: Adobe InDesign, Illustrator, Photoshop and Acrobat Pro. If you’re really smart and want to be useful, move up to the Big Six, by adding Adobe Dreamweaver and Flash. Additionally, you’d be surprised how many community colleges offer courses in these classes. (I need to brush up on Dreamweaver myself, but I’ve been putting it off…) The more internet related stuff you can do, the more valuable you will be.
Other than your ‘chops, you don’t mention any other software. Oh wait, I see where you’re using Corel, too. I would think that Flash would be a natural for your (intended) line of work, especially with all of the neat features like tweening and others that are useful for motion graphics.
Bonne Chance, and we’ll keep an eye for more of your ‘chops!
(EDIT): I forgot to add that the Chicago market is a really good one for graphic artists.
Your chops remind me of some of the cars I used to draw as a teenager…Mopar fin cars shortened to be 2-passenger like the early T-Birds…after I saw my first custom car with a continental kit and the rear fenders extended to match, I drew everything that way for a while.
Lots of fun…keep it up!
What a great skill to have. Though to my eye, the only model improved by the treatment is the red coupe.
These photoshop modifications beg all sorts of interesting questions…. What if the Mercedes w140 sedan had a lower roofline? What if the 1st-gen Audi A8 had less front overhang (wheels shifted forward)?
I knew there was good stuff inside computers those 2 door hardtops look great.The 4 doors not so much.
These are great Steven. I especially like the ’91 Caprice 2-door hardtop. I was about 10 when the 1991 Caprice came out and I always liked them, they looked really futuristic to me. One thing I’d love to see would be Pontiac versions of the ’91 Caprice, as a Bonneville or Safari wagon. I also really like the ’91-’92 Olds Custom Cruisers and always wondered why there wasn’t a sedan version. I think a full lineup of Custom Cruiser coupes, sedans and a wagon and convertible would have been really neat. And it has precedence as the very first Custom Cruisers in the 1940s were top-of-the-line sedans.
I was about one when those Caprices came out, and I’ve been fascinated by them as far back as I can remember. They are polarizing designs, but when I look at them I see the elegance of the ’48 Hudson, ’49 Lincoln, ’49 Nash, and other ‘bathtub’ cars.
I agree with you on the Pontiac and Oldsmobile versions. I’ve actually designed a few on paper, I redesigned the rear end of the Custom Cruiser to match the Ninety-Eight, and I would love a Ninety-Eight based on the Buick Roadmaster or Chevrolet Caprice, but that’s a little beyond my skill. I might get around to something like that in the future, but for now I don’t think I could handle it.
The thing that always bother me most was the Roadmaster wagon using the Caprice’s front clip rather than the sedan’s Park Avenue-esque design. I’d be curious to see that one.
You’re in luck, because that’s something that has been done in real life a few times (and I’m in luck because it means I don’t need to do it):
http://media.photobucket.com/image/roadmaster%20wagon%20front%20clip/caddycruiser/customroadiewagon.jpg
Take off the extra chrome, snot holes, and big wheels and that is one beautiful wagon. If I ever get my hands on a Roadmaster wagon I will definitely be doing that to it.
And if you are extra crazy:
http://www.cusstom.com/data/media/8/h2o_melon__715200923412PM9207.jpg
Back when they were new, one of the car mags thought the same thing and had a body shop replace the Caprice clip with a real Roadmaster front end. I forget which one or when.
Well this post has really piqued my interest, so here is a quick sketch of what I think a B-body 1991 Ninety Eight would look like.
I wish I had a scanner. Back when the bubble B’s debuted, I was into trying to draw and design cars, and I did several versions of the Caprice and Roadmaster, but as Pontiac and Oldsmobile versions. I was rather proud of them 🙂
By the way, good job Steven, hope to see more from you!!!
I love these, great work! The attention to detail is the best part. You’ve opened a can of worms, I’m sure you’re gonna get a hundred requests now. I second that Lincoln Mark VII vote, myself.
I’ve done a little bit of this kind of stuff in Photoshop too, just not as much and not as good! Here’s a dumb idea I had to turn an HHR SS into a truck…
Wow, as a truck the HHR actually looks kind of cool.
Thats cool has a sort of FJ Holden ute look to it round the roof a little and put a mustache grille in sweet. Wish I knew how to do that.
@Drew: Oh, that is too cool! I like the HHR already, but a pickup on that size would be killer!
Well done, sir. Now we’ve got to figure out how to make the real thing…
Interesting. Not sure how I feel about the sedans, but the ’77 coupe looks like it was meant to be that way…I always liked that roofline and the frame windows looked like such an afterthought. Nice work.
Neat studies. I can’t wait to see more!
Good work Steve, but here is an observation. How about lowering the roofline as well. Hardtops, always sported the convertable’s lower belt line. Sedans always were taller vehicles along with pillars and framed door windows.
Stephen, you have amazing design skills in this article! I love your ideas! How about designing a pillarless hardtop on the latest 2016 Chevrolet Impala??? Or the current Chevy Malibu?