![Ads Featuring T-Tops](https://blog.consumerguide.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2014/12/Screen-Shot-2022-03-31-at-1.04.36-PM-1024x768.png)
The T-top was patented back in 1951 by famed designer Gordon Buehrig, but wouldn’t see duty on a regular-production car until it appeared as standard equipment on the 1968 Chevrolet Corvette. A pretty long stretch between conception and implementation, we’d argue.
![1948 Tasco](https://blog.consumerguide.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2014/12/Screen-shot-2014-12-29-at-2.09.14-PM.png)
Mostly displaced by the sunroof (or in the case of the Corvette by a single-piece Targa roof), the T-top enjoyed a period of popularity that seemed to peak sometime around the late Seventies.
T-tops were generally a pricey option. The ’78 Chrysler LeBaron’s T-bar roof was priced at $642 as a standalone option–fully 10 percent of the car’s base price, and about the same cost as adding air conditioning. Despite the steep tariff, many sun seekers opted for the open-air experience in lieu of the sterility of an artificially chilled cabin.
Presented here are 5 classic car ads that prominently feature T-top roofs. If you’ve owned a T-top-equipped car, tell us about it. Be sure to mention if you experienced any of the water leaks so often associated with T-tops.
Hidden Headlamps: The Awkward Years
Ads Featuring T-Tops
![1976 Buick Century Pace Car](https://blog.consumerguide.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2014/12/1976-buick-pace-car+ad.jpg)
10 Worst Gas Guzzlers of 1994*
![1978 Chrysler LeBaron](https://blog.consumerguide.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2014/12/ad_chrysler_lebaron_yellow_t_top_1978.jpg)
Learning to Drive Stick: A Sordid Tale of Intrigue, Deception, and Personal Triumph
![1980 Datsun 280ZX](https://blog.consumerguide.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2014/12/19801-1024x700.jpg)
Recent-History Madness! A Gallery of Car Ads from 2002
![1980 Ford Mustang](https://blog.consumerguide.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2014/12/1980.jpg)
Photo Feature: 1961 Plymouth Belvedere
![1985 Chrysler Laser](https://blog.consumerguide.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2014/12/1985-1024x697.jpg)
Ads Featuring T-Tops