Today, we are going paranoid about convertibles. Just can’t seem to get enough of them, even though they mess up our funky hair-dos!

Don’t rob a bank. Forget about holding your company to ransom. Just pray and these beauties might consider becoming your brides!

BENTLEY AZURE

If you want to know the difference between cars and THE car, you got to drive this machine. When we stepped inside this beauty, our world came to a standstill. It was then that we realized why it’s name rhymes (well, nearly) with ‘assure’. You can go at 40 kph, but none of the freaking speed demons would dare to honk at you! That’s the effect the Azure has on the rest. Royal affair.

Specs: 6.8-litre, V8 engine; 0-100 kph in 5.5 seconds; Price: $370,000

MERCEDES-BENZ CLK 350

We can understand that these cars fascinate you. But if your plans don’t include selling your country’s secrets or marrying into the Mittals, and you want to wait for a rich uncle to pass on some dough, this is the car you need to focus on. Easily the most affordable cabriolets available, considering the other price tags!

Specs: 3.2-litre, V6 engine; 0-100 kph in 6.4 seconds; Price: $46,200

PHANTOM DROPHEAD COUPE

Okay, we can understand the stress you’re under. From $46,000 to… whoosh. Well.. what to do, we believe in saving the best for the last. Big, bold and undoubtedly beautiful, the Phantom Drophead Coupe is Rolls-Royce’s jaw-dropper. Even the company maintains that though the Phantom sedan is its standard-bearer, this is better – much better, in our opinion – appealing to the romantic in all of us in a way the sedan never will. The gauntlet has been thrown down in the ultraluxe segment.

Specs: 6.8-litre, V12 engine; 0-100 kph in 5.9 seconds; Price: $412,000

BMW 650i

How to be THE guy without being him? Simple. Get his beauty and watch yourself graduate from the backpack-trotting lanky college guy to the suave diplomat. If you choose to disagree, we’d like to put it this way: In the 650i convertible you would feel at home with not just the spunkiness of a rockstar, but also with the attitude of an archaeologist.

Specs: 4.8-litre, V8 engine; 0-100 kph in 5.5 seconds; Price: $81,700

VOLVO C70

If you ask us, we were a bit surprised by this car. ‘Cos we thought that the Volvo guys were just into safety and not the way their machines looked. But, with the C70, it seems as if they plan not only to hitch the dads but also the dudes for a ride. Though you might miss the crisp edges and sporty lines, the overall impact is so inspiring that you might be lured into giving it a try.

Specs: 2.3-litre engine; 0-100 kph in 9.1 seconds; Price: $39,300

MERCEDES-BENZ SLK 55 AMG

Mercedes is no stranger to either roadsters or racing, and the latest SLK 55 AMG seeks to capture the experience of the sports-roadster in its purest form. After undergoing a facelift, it is confident to make other cars quiver on the ramp. In a much more dynamic form, this unique eoght-cylinder machine is even more athletic not just when on the move, but even at a standstill! Aren’t these enough reasons to want it?

Specs: 5.4-litre, V8 engine; 0-100 kph in 4.7 seconds; Price: $62,500

ASTON MARTIN V8 VANTAGE ROADSTER

Do we really need to explain why we are ready to go down on our knees and beg till doomsday to make sure we see this beauty whizz past on our bumpy roads? We can’t help but gloat over it. It’s a car deserved only by those who are insanely passionate about the machines they drive.

Specs: 4.3-litre, V8 engine; 0-100 kph in 4.9 seconds; Price: $126,400

FORD MUSTANG GT

This is it. The people’s car, a car which is a legend in itself. The 2007 Ford Mustang GT Convertible is the most solid, best handling and most refined open-air version yet of this American icon. And because the convertible was designed alongside the coupe and not as an afterthought, it is much more robust than coupe derived convertibles of the past. Better still, it retains all of the personality that has made the Ford Mustang one of the most-loved automotive nameplates in history.

Specs: 4.6-litre, V8 engine; 0-100 kph in 5.1 seconds; Price: $26,080

ALTERNATIVE FUEL VEHICLES

We believe in thinking ahead of the times…

VENTURI FETISH

This limited edition convertible was the first electric sports car to reach production. Though it was hardly a mass market vehicle, it was a vital turning point in the development of alternative fuel cars. Being a high performance vehicle, it transformed popular opinion on electric cars. And coming from renowned sportscar makers, it was a very interesting machine!

TESLA ROADSTER

Perhaps this is the face of future cars? ‘Cos the Roadster has performance figures that shouldn’t only worry rival carmakers but oil companies too. It was built in England by Lotus and promises to be a great drive with a great chassis and amazingly spruced-up stuff under its hood. It’s not cheap but then this is cutting-edge tech and good things are expensive.

TWIKE

The Twike is a convertible, if not a car, in the loosest sense possible. And considering our cities’ rising emission levels, it can be the perfect vehicle, what with its excellent low carbon emission standards. Powered by an electric motor, it is controlled by a joystick with fingering access to steering, acceleration, turn signals and brakes – all in one hand. Go, play!