Sunny Days Lie Ahead: Quick Jump

Life continues to be lifing as I continue to attend to things away from writing, true to the brand. Fortunately, present circumstances mean I may be taking a permanent trajectory back to what I continue to consider my heart’s desires.

The day-to-day slog sucks, especially on a rainy day. That is why in some cultures, convertibles pave the way to a better outlook on the off chance the sky clears. One of the most prominent countries to take advantage of this is the UK.

Great Britain lies almost entirely north of the U.S.-Canadian border, so a heat wave there is considered to be north of 80 degrees Fahrenheit. But because it’s still technically an island, it is accustomed to an unusual amount of downpour on the regular. So when the sun comes out, so do convertibles.

For similar reasons, I employ a Miata to brighten my perspective for the day. I’m sure I’ll document why very soon because ‘A Day In The Life’ content is very popular these days. But for some companies, it may be a necessity.

Not too long ago, Chrysler used to present a range of convertible offerings to the public, both in the U.S. and overseas. This is hard to believe as there is only one model in 2025 on sale, the minivan:

Now for reference sake, let’s look at what Chrysler was putting out in the mid-2000s:

Look at that! Not an SUV in sight. European Chrysler marketing decided that an established range of cars — and its signature minivan — was the way to go back then. That included three can-openers like the PT Cruiser and the short-lived Crossfire, which was based on a Mercedes roadster at the time.

The only one to survive the transition into the 2010s was the Sebring. When Fiat acquired Chrysler, it gave the Sebring chassis a facelift and a new name in the 200. This means it could carry on an unusual option that, as far as I’m aware, has never been available on another convertible besides my Miata.

If you got a Sebring-200 between the years of, say, 2007 and 2014, you could upgrade from a cloth top to a folding metal hardtop as a premium option. Kudos to the engineering team for accomplishing this unnecessarily complicated feat.

Because a metal-folding roof needs space behind the seats to be stowed on sunny days. The amount of room needed depends solely on the size of the roof, meaning it could retreat to the trunk as needed if you don’t care about your groceries.

It’s a peculiar choice to offer both simultaneously. Usually what happens is when a vehicle is redesigned for a new generation, the manufacturer decide to opt for one over the other. This is the typical move, so seeing Chrysler offer this once upon a time is extraordinary.

And it finds itself in rare company because the Mazda MX-5 Miata does this, too. But that sits a dedicated chassis that is happy to accommodate the top of your choosing without compromising on trunk space. You could get the Sebring-200 twins as a sedan and, for a time, as a fixed-roof coupe. Those were Chrysler’s sunny days, and hopefully new company management turns it around before it’s too late.

In the meantime, I hope to permanently inject some life into this blog.

-TA