30 years or so ago, many industry gurus foresaw the demise of the convertible. Among the top reasons for such a grim forecast: insufficient safety and security.

Automakers such as Audi, of course, took such doomsday news as a challenge. And what do you know? They managed to pull off the impossible and prevent the death of the convertible. Now, we find ourselves in the middle of what kkb.com appropriately coins a "rag top…