PriusOnline.com

On L.A. local TV (ABC) at 11pm tonight (Wednesday) they are featuring a home-built Prius convertible as "the ultimate SoCal car." Should be interesting!

Bet it's this one...

http://priuschat.com/forums/prius-main-forum/46662-record-straight-prius-convertible.html

That's the design and color shown in the teaser clip this morning, so I think you are right!

OK to make any observations?
For that many "bucks" I would have liked to see it s designed without the side window posts.
I think it is sort of unattractive, top up and down.

KTPhil,
Saw this car in a recent issue of "AutoWeek." It is not what I would call "home-built," as Newport Engineering is a long established builder of convertibles based on numerous makes and models. Granted, as discussed by the owner in a later post, this is a very expensive one-off conversion.

I agree-- a convertible with fixed window frames just looks more like a targa than a real 'vert. Probably not enough room in the doors to conceal the glass and frame, but then why bother? A large ragtop might do as well for considerable less money.

You're right, is isn't "homebuilt." The teaser voice-over said something like "he built this unique ultimate SoCal car" and I took that to mean HE built it, not a shop. But it's clearly a shop job.

Kind of dumb looking really. I agree that with the window frames, it doesn't look like a convertible period. I assume this might have had something to do with maintaining structural integrity. No matter how much it cost to build, nobody's going to think that it is actually cool.

It can't be structural, since the only thing those window frames support is the glass; it has nothing to do with body stiffness. But it would be hard to fit a frameless window structure into those thin doors. A lot more internal support would be needed than the simple channel the frames type needs, and it may just not fit.

It may not be cool from the outside, but I bet it's fun to drive on a nice warm day!

I'm a convertible lover from way back, having had over the years a '53 Ford, '55 Chevy, '62 Chevy, '84 VW Rabbit and finally now a '91 Miata. But I have to agree, the door frames kind of take away from the clean look I like in a convertible. I didn't particularly like the crossover bar they added to the Rabbit for stiffness. The Prius convertible reminds me of a similar design back in the fifties on an American Motors Rambler. Bet you remember those, Hyperion?

In fact some sort of "snap in" window would certainly improve the looks. Somebody blew a lot of bucks and if I were the "Coach Company" that built it, I wouldn't put my name on it!

This shot indicates the window pillars in conjunction with a roll bar are used for stiffening the body.
It does however indicate that the "four" doors was retained which was the addition Chrysler did not go for with their P.T. Cruiser convertible model.