The Car Of Dreams

The only major changes of the 1940 convertible was the discontinuance of the rumble seat in favor of a trunk and the front header bar was now made of metal rather than wood.
1941 saw a dramatic production increase in convertibles, with a 51 percent increase in sales recorded. The war shortened 1942 production year saw the smallest number of Plymouth convertibles built since 1938; only 2,731 were built for the U.S. market and another 73 were exported overseas.
The P15 convertibles of 1946 through 1948 were the last American convertibles to have a Victoria style top with no windows except in the doors. In the car-hungry post-war years these cars sold like hot-cakes and they are still highly prized today.
Convertible production soared with the 1949-1952 models but production declined severely with the 1953 and 1954 models. By this time the vacuum powered top had been replaced by electric tops but other body styles were becoming more popular. The lowly station wagon soon became the everyday family car and the open car began its slide into oblivion. Convertible production reached its U.S. industry peak in 1965 but air conditioning and body styles with vinyl roofs that looked like convertibles helped contribute to the eventual discontinuance of the open car. They had never been sold in great quantity and they cost more to produce--a cost which manufacturers decided was too hard to amortize. Like the horse and buggy, the convertible gave way to modernization--and those remaining examples will continue to grow in value.