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y PAGE 34 â€" WATERLOO CHHONICUCE, WEDNESHAY, JUNE 25; 1994 The recent heat wave in southern Ontario sure made those people who own convertibles look like geniuses for their purchase of such joyful vehicles. I‘m sure many of their friends were admonishing them throughout the winter for buying such impractical cars. However, it was the convertâ€" ible owners who had the last laugh as the thermometer toyed with the 40 C mark. It makes all the abuse worthâ€" while Convertibles are a very North American kind of thing. Oh sure, the Brits and the Germans play around with the conâ€" cept but nowhere in the world is the population as in love with topâ€"down cruising as in North America. One of the stalâ€" wart convertibles for the past 30 odd years has been the Ford Mustang Convertible. Take the popularity of the Musâ€" tang over the years and mix it with a drop top and you have a formula for instant success. Ford Mustang Convertibles have been one of the best selling summer cars for years. With the introduction of the new Mustang late last year, it was only a matter of time before the boys at Ford took the old Black and Decker to the new model and removed the top. The new convertible was introduced just in time for the spring rush and has met with the same success that its hard Mustang convertible is the best drop top around By Gary Highfield 1994 FORD MUSTANG CONVERTIBLE 485 King St. North Waterloo, Ontario (519) 885â€"5090 Bâ€"K MOTORS top sibling won upon its introduction. Take a look around. Chances are a good portion of new convertibles you see are Mustangs. I was fortunate enough to be able to test drive a base Musâ€" tang Convertible during the heat wave and can say without a doubt it is the best drop top value in town. We reviewed the Mustang in this column a few months ago so there‘s no need to discuss the performance and hanâ€" dling aspects of the convertible. If you recall the summary of that review, we concluded that the Mustang in base trim is a competent performer. With 145 hp, it‘s not going to blow away any Zâ€"28s but that was never its mission anyway. With the hard top removed in favor of the soft top, it is almost always the case that a car loses some structural rigidity and the Mustang is no exception. Although the engiâ€" neers have made adjustments to make up for the loss in torâ€" sional rigidity, you can feel the looseness compared to the hard top. In a performanceâ€"oriented car, such reduced rigidâ€" ity would be a cardinal sin. In the LX that has more of a "middle of the road" mission, it‘s allowable. It‘s not so signifiâ€" cant to be bothersome and most may not notice it unless you drive both cars back to back. The top itself is finished quite nicely with most mechanical apc Automobile ) IF CARS HAD EG(}S“ OURS WOULDN‘T IN THE GARAGE. Please forgive our momentary lack of humility, but these are very prestigious honours. Of course, when you introduce two new cars that manage to combine the exhilaration of either a 168â€"horsepower or 222â€"horsepower turbo engine with the security of a driver and passenger side supâ€" plemental restraint system (dual air bags), receiving these awards doesn‘t come as a complete surprise. Test drive the new 850 Sportswagon and Turbo Sedan. And don‘t worry, if you buy a Volvo you won‘t have to add on to your gurage to park it. Drive Safely. Association of Canada. Porsche is a reg. TM of Dr. Ing H.C.F. Potsche AG. BEAT THE HIGH COST OF EUROPEAN TRAVEL. 9008 450 Belmont Ave. W., Kit 744â€"5811 mh.wmmmmmw on a Cangarcâ€"of but a heck of a lot more durable and practical. With the top up, highway speeds were actuâ€" version shop at Ford has obviously spent a lot of time perfecting this top. A real glass rear window completes the practicality of the drop top and provides the owner with the real possibility of driving the Mustang year round. As with previous Mustangs, this version‘s lid is mechaniâ€" cally operated. A flick of two levers on the trailing edge of the windshield releases the top and a push of the button has it down in five seconds. The boot cover for the top is a lot easâ€" ier to install than in previous years, however it is a stiff plasâ€" tic that makes it cumbersome to carry around with the top up. Trunk space is not that much less than with the hard top; still I‘m sure that many will opt to leave the boot at home when packing a load. Visually, this is one of the best rag tops I have seen period. It has smooth flowing lines and the windshield doesn‘t look like it was an afterthought like on the Camaro. The designâ€" ers obviously had a convertible in mind all along while they VOLNVO KITCHENER VOLNO (Continued on page 35)