B-Pillar Convertible: Origins

The pillarless hardtop (often abbreviated to "hardtop") is a hardtop with no B-
pillar which is often styled to look like a convertible.[1][2] If window frames are
present, they are designed to retract with the glass when lowered. This creates
an impression of uninterrupted glass along the side of the car.[3]
A pillarless hardtop is inherently less rigid than a pillared body, requiring extra
underbody strength to prevent shake. Production hardtops commonly shared
the frame or reinforced body structure of the contemporary convertible model,
which was already reinforced to compensate for the lack of a fixed roof.
Hardtops tend to be more expensive and collectible than sedan models of the
same vehicle.[4]
Some hardtop models took the convertible look even further, including such
details as simulating a convertible-top framework in the interior headliner and
shaping the roof to resemble a raised canvas top.[citation needed] By the late-1960s
such designs could be highlighted with an optional vinyl cover applied on the
steel roof.
The hardtop began to disappear along with convertibles in the mid-1970s, partly
out of a concern that U.S. federal safety regulations would be difficult for
pillarless models to pass. The ascendancy of monocoque construction also made
the pillarless design less practical. Some models adopted modified roof styling,
placing the B pillars behind tinted side window glass and painting or molding the
outer side of each pillar in black to make them less visible, creating a hardtop
look without actually omitting the pillar. Some mid- to late-1970s models
continued their previous two-door hardtop bodies, but with fixed rear windows or
a variety of vinyl roof and opera window treatments.
By the end of the 1990s, almost all hardtop designs disappeared as structural
integrity standards continued to increase.
Origins[edit]
California Top on a 1926 Studebaker Phaeton
Early automobiles had no roof or sides, however by 1900 several cars were
offered with fabric roofs and primitive folding tops.[5][6] However, cars with fully
closed bodies (ie with a rigid roof and sides) grew in popularity and soon became
the norm.[6]
In 1915–1918, the first pillarless hardtop cars were produced, then called
"convertible cars" (or "touring sedans" or "Springfields").[7] The Springfield design
featured folding upper frames on the doors and the rear glass frames are
removable and stored under or behind the seats.[8]
Another form of early pillarless hardtop is the "California top", originating in Los
Angeles and most popular from 1917—1927.[7][9] These were designed to replace
the folding roofs of touring cars, in order to enclose the sides of the car for better
weather protection.[10] One objective of these aftermarket tops was to bring the
cost of the closed car nearer to the prices of corresponding open
cars.[11] Automobile dealers were encouraged to equip an open car with a
California top to demonstrate that they were "cool and clean in summer, and
warm and dry in winter."[12] The hard tops were frequently equipped with celluloid
windows that retracted like a roller blind for open sided motoring offering a low-
cost compromise between an open and closed car.[13]
United States[edit]
Two-door hardtop coupe:

1969 Pontiac Parisienne
Four-door hardtop sedan:

1970 Cadillac Sedan de Ville
Two-door hardtop wagon:

1957 Mercury Commuter
Four-door hardtop wagon:
1958 Rambler Ambassador
There were a variety of hardtop-like body styles dating back to 1916.[14] Chrysler
Corporation built seven pillarless Town and Country hardtop coupes as concept
vehicles in 1946, and even included the body style in its advertising that year.[15]
Mass-production of hardtops began with General Motors, which launched two-
door, pillarless hardtops in 1949 as the Buick RoadmasterRiviera, Oldsmobile
98 Holiday, and Cadillac Coupe de Ville. They were purportedly inspired by the
wife of a Buick executive who always drove convertibles, but never lowered the
top.
The Kaiser-Frazer 1949 Virginian was an early example of a four-door hardtop
albeit with a removable thin, chrome- and-glass 'B' pillar held on by five
screws.[16] The car was designed to have a convertible look and padded nylon or
cotton was applied over the roof to contribute to the soft-top appearance.[17]
Two-door hardtops became popular with consumers in the 1950s while the two-
door sedan body fell out of favor among buyers.[18]
In 1955, General Motors introduced the first four-door hardtops.[19][20] To
popularize the introduction of the body style with no B-pillar, GM gave special
trim designations for all their brands in North America. The term Seville was used
for Cadillac, Riviera was used for Buick, Holiday was used for
Oldsmobile, Catalina was used for Pontiac, and Bel Air was used for Chevrolet.[21]
By 1956 every major U.S. automaker offered two- and four-door hardtops in a
particular model lineup. General Motors restyled their new models and now
offered four-door hardtops from every division and in nearly every series except
the lowest priced lines.[22]
In 1956, the first four-door hardtop station wagons were introduced
by Rambler[23] and American Motors Corporation.[24] The following year,
the Mercury Commuter hardtop wagons became available in both two- and four-
door body styles.
Throughout the 1960s the two-door pillarless hardtop was by far the most
popular body style in most lines where such a model was offered. Even on
family-type vehicles like the Chevrolet Impala, the two-door hardtop regularly
outsold four-door sedans. Some car lines (such as the 1957 Cadillac and 1965-
69 Corvair) only offered pillarless models with no sedans at all. So prevalent
were true hardtops that Popular Mechanics had to describe that the new full-
sized 1967 Oldsmobile Delmont models also included a "pillar" sedan.[25]
The U.S. industry's last pilarless two-door and four-door hardtops were in the
1978 Chrysler Newport and New Yorker lines.[26] Since then, no U.S.
manufacturer has offered a true hardtop in regular production.
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The pillarless hardtop (often abbreviated to "hardtop") is a hardtop with no B-

California Top on a 1926 Studebaker Phaeton

Two-door hardtop coupe:

Four-door hardtop sedan:

Two-door hardtop wagon:

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