The City Cabriolet was a hit with young people in the 1980s

The 1980s was a time when driving a trendy car became a status symbol, influenced by cars that appeared in dramas and movies. Among these, open-air cars attracted the most attention, and there must be many Showa-born car enthusiasts in their 50s and 60s who spent their youth yearning for such a car. …… This time, we will introduce the Honda City Cabriolet.

There are 12 pop and colorful body colors available

The Datsun “Fairlady 2000,” the Honda “S Series,” and the Toyota “Sport 800” were probably the most representative of roofless sports cars in Japan in the 1960s. Since then, however, the history of open-air cars in Japan has been temporarily cut short, and the Honda City Cabriolet, which appeared in 1984, attracted attention as “open-air motoring again,” and its revival after a 14-year absence was widely covered and talked about in various media.

Taking a look back at the history of this “City,” it was born in October 1981 with a “tall boy” phase characterized by a tall nod of 1470 mm against an overall width of 1570 mm. 1983 saw its derivation into the “City Turbo II,” commonly known as the Bulldog, with pristine front and rear fenders, and The following year, based on the body of the Turbo II, the City Cabriolet was born as the first four-seater fully open model of a Japanese passenger car with a soft top.

Because this Cabriolet was both a new challenge and an ambitious work for Honda, it was available in a wide range of colors. It was available in 12 pop and colorful colors. The catchphrase for the City Cabriolet, which evoked the era, was “City Cabriolet with the sun as standard equipment. This phrase resonated with and captivated the fashion-conscious youth of the time.

In 2023, he acquired the City Cabriolet, which he had always longed to own

When Mr. Iwasaki, who lives in Hyogo Prefecture and is introduced here, was a young man, he longed for a City Cabriolet that he could use as a date car with his girlfriend while playing his favorite music, or as a leg to go to a resort while enjoying the company of like-minded friends. His current car, a white City Cabriolet, was the body he finally found and purchased in 2023.

He naturally spent his days looking for a car in good condition, but he was unable to find one in good condition, so he extended his antennae across the country and patiently continued his search. At that time, he received information that there was a City Cabriolet in good condition in Ibaraki Prefecture. The information was quite promising, so he immediately took the train from Hyogo Prefecture to Ibaraki Prefecture to check out the car. The moment he saw the car, he knew it was the only one for him, and he drove back to Hyogo Prefecture on his own.

The fact that it runs well has been proven by long drives since the immediate purchase. The interior has minimal damage for its age, and the top, despite being original, has no white flakes or tears in its matte black finish, so he is highly satisfied with the car. The City Cabriolet is currently being used for driving with his wife.

“A road trip date with the steering wheel of a car that I admired in my youth is always exciting no matter how old I get,”

he said.

translated by DeepL