The modern aficionado of open-air motoring is no longer tied to quaint old folding canvas. Instead, those yearning for instant wind-in-the-hair thrills can get their fix in a matter of seconds, with none of the lingering problems of security and comfort that accompany the traditional rag-top. Welcome to the world of the folding hardtop, a complex mechanism of folding, twisting and intersecting parts that allows a car to move from cabrio to coupé at the flick of a switch.
So can you really have two cars in one? Step forward the Ford Focus Coupé-Cabriolet, perhaps the most stylish manifestation of this world-beating car. With bodywork honed by the famed Italian styling house Pininfarina, plus class-leading driving dynamics and outstanding practicality, the Focus Coupé-Cabriolet is living proof that you can have it all. For a start, there are those sleek lines. In developing the Focus Coupé-Cabriolet, designer Guy Colborne described the car as a 'Focus in a tailored Italian suit'. Whereas squeezing the complex hardtop mechanism into a conventional bodyshell tends to add a few excess pounds, the Focus Coupé-Cabriolet has none of these unsightly weight problems. Thanks to a crash diet instigated by the technical and stylistic wizards at Pininfarina, which previously collaborated with Ford on the compact and dynamic StreetKa, the Focus Coupé-Cabriolet is svelte from every angle, using the taut curves and crisp edges of Ford’s new Kinetic design language.
Turn the key, pull away and as soon as you enter the first bend you’ll be grateful to the engineers who have toiled behind the scenes. The Focus Coupé-Cabriolet's well-tweaked suspension ensures handling is up to scratch, so when the road starts to twist and turn you can either admire the view or concentrate on getting the most out of the car. With an interior containing four uniquely designed seats, as well as welcoming splashes of leather, aluminium and chrome, the Focus Coupé-Cabriolet is as pleasant a place to sit in as it is to look at; and that’s before you’ve taken in the panorama afforded by the open roof. Boot space is also up on the class average, so you’re not limited to a single overnight bag, while a set of unique body colours come as standard.
Pininfarina’s party piece is the combination of grace and great driving quality: within the space of 23 seconds, you effectively have two cars to admire – both a sleek coupé and an admirably spacious open-top. Good looks rarely come in such perfect packages.
INFORMATION
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