My love of convertibles started as a kid growing up in Iowa, riding in my Dad's 1956 Cadillac Series 62 convertible, it was a fantastic car! He would have the top down whenever he could, but the best rides were in the early evening in the summer, after the steamy Iowa day had cooled down some. We would drive through neighborhoods, where you would occasionally catch whiffs of different family dinners cooking. The roads along the Cedar River were always a nice route to take, where the temperature would drop a little more and the air would be a little fresher. And when we ended up at one of the local ice cream shops, it was always a great treat! Of course, Dad's love of convertibles passed on to me, and the first car I bought was an MG Midget, followed by a 71 Corvette convertible. With two kids, more practical cars followed, but I finally was able to find my dream car, a 57 Corvette. It had been a drag car and was in pieces and about half there, but my plan was to restore it back to original. After about 30 years in my garage with no real progress, my brother-in-law offered to do it for me at his shop in Florida. 5 years ago, it came back perfect, is a blast to drive, and even though it has both soft and hard tops, they are seldom up. So, even with owning the (undriveable) 57, I still was not driving a convertible for way too long. Then, a year after Dad passed away, I found a 2000 Torch Red Corvette convertible, it was 6 years old, but looked better than new. I only wish I could have taken Dad for a ride in it, I know he would have loved it. And the top is down almost all of the time!
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