[TexasGator]

“There’s a long history of hard tops without B pillars also being called hardtop convertibles by GM.

The 1972 Buick pictured in post #4 was referred to as a hard top convertible by GM. My parents had a similar Chevy at that time.”

If there were a long history, It would be documented.

I am 78. On a convertible the top retracts.

[FreeReign]

If there were a long history, It would be documented. I am 78. On a convertible the top retracts.

I'm not that old. But in 1962, when I was a little kid, my Dad brought home a new car. He said it was a "hard top convertible". And he said to "go outside and take a look". So I ran outside expecting to see a convertible and instead I saw this.

And now for the history lesson.

In 1949, General Motors created a new body style with its pillarless hardtops for Buick and Cadillac, following up in 1950 with Chevrolet’s version, the Bel Air. With their low windshield heights and open greenhouses, these GM pillarless coupes emulated the look of a convertible, earning the nickname “hardtop convertible.” Oxymoronic, perhaps, but the odd label captured the flavor of the look, and the pillarless hardtop became one of the hot Motor City styling trends of the fifties.

Link

It's as I said.

Where were you in '62?