The Best Cars With Targa-Style Tops Sold Today

The numbers would lead you to believe sales are at an all-time low, but a study conducted in 2014 found that convertible owners are more educated and affluent, that they know how to enjoy the finer things in life. The same study showed that 20 percent of convertible owners had an income of at least $175,000, which is about twice as many as non-convertible buyers (10.7 percent). Finally, 11.7 percent of people who buy convertibles live in houses valued at more than $1 million, and that's triple the number of average car buyers (4.4 percent) who own such homes.

"Special" is one word we could use to describe them, but there's a group of cars that are even more special. We're talking about the ones with Targa-style tops, famous for their removable roof sections and stunning overall looks. From Fiat to Triumph, Saab and Toyota, pretty much every major automaker offered one, but most have now shied away from the design because of its impractical nature.

We've compiled a list of all the major models that are currently in production and fit the general description of a Targa top. Because they are so wildly different, there's no way of saying which is the best, but they're all winners in our book.

Let's start with a good benchmark, shall we? That can only be the 911 Targa, a car that re-invented the segment with its ultra-complex and architecturally beautiful folding mechanism. Overkill? Yes, but when you've already made the most precise handling sportscar in the world, you can get away with pretty much anything. The 911 Targa is currently available in 4, 4S and GTS versions, but there might even be a turbo some day. There is, however, a price to pay for the mechanism, and that is the extra weight. And did we mention it's more expensive? We didn't have to.

If you're looking for something cheaper and yet still very honest and engaging, that can only be the Corvette Stingray. Of course, you can order the Stingray as a convertible, but we like the Targa model better because it's a classic and it doesn't add that much weight. With it in place, it looks like any other sleek coupe and removing it is easier than you might think. Sure, you can't do it while driving, but the one-piece unit is light and can be taken off in about a minute. We could tell you how to do it, but why not let Chevrolet take it from here, since they actually built the car? And once the top is off, you get to listen to an awesome naturally aspirated V8 engine breathing out through 4 trumpet-sized exhaust tips.

Of course, the LT1 can't hold a candle to the best naturally aspirated V8 in the world, the 4.5-liter in the 458 Spider. Ferrari could have made a conventional convertible like it did with the F430, but they didn't. As a result, the open-top 458 is sexy beyond measure, with pronounced humps behind the driver and passenger, coupled to a surprisingly simple folding mechanism. It's rival from McLaren, the 650S Spider, works pretty much the same way and while it lacks the design flare of the Italian car, the doors open upwards in the butterfly style, which some people may like more.

And while we're on the subject of Italian car, we have to mention the 458 Spider has a stablemate from Alfa Romeo. That's right, we're referring to the lovely little 4C which in Targa-topped form weighs only weighs 10 kg (22 lbs) more. That's amazing, though not as amazing as the V12 engine sound of the 700 horsepower Lamborghini Aventador Roadster.

Taking firm steps into the world of supercars, we have to mention that pretty much every Koenigsegg has a removable roof piece in addition to some absurdly cool but impractical doors. You could go berserk and order the new One:1 with its 1000 kW output, but we found something even better. For an unspecified amount of money, which should be close to a million, you can have this blue CCXR Special Edition that might have belonged to the Al'Thani family.

Pagani's ultimate car with a removable top is also very special. At the beginning of the year, this Zonda 760 Roadster emerged at a detailer in London. As the name suggests, power comes from a mighty 760-horsepower version of the Mercedes-AMG 7.3-liter V12. It's made completely out of carbon fiber, by hand and features painstaking attention to detail. Nobody knows how many millions it costs, but thanks to Youtuber Shmee150, we can show the intricate way in which the single-pice carbon fiber roof is removed.

The Bugatti Veyron 16.4 Grand Sport Vitesse is still the undisputed kind of the performance convertible word, a record holder unlike anything else in the history of the automobine 408.84 km (253 MPH)… with the roof down. The record was set in April 2013 and was only possible because its 8-liter W16 engine achieves an unparalleled torque of 1,500 Nm and 1,200 hp. In a straight line, the Vitesse will outrun just about any car in the world, claiming a 0 to 62 mph (100 km/h) time of only 2.6 seconds.

Many special edition versions were built but due to its visual impact, we picked the Meo Costantini model, finished in sky blue and chrome. Oh and by the way, it costs €2.09 million, excluding taxes and transport, and only 3 exist in the world.

Worth mentions? Well, there is one British company that still carries out the Triumph TR250 Surrey Top legacy, and that's Lotus. Their best targa model is probably the Exige S Roadster, a relatively new car packing a 3.5-liter Toyota engine equipped with a Harrop HTV 1320 Supercharger that can reach 62 mph in 4 seconds. Excellent handling, but we just wish it would look a little more handsome.