Classic Car Era | Open Cars - Morris

From the beginning, every automobile needed only a few basic components: an engine for power, wheels, some means of transmitting power between the engine and wheels, a chassis to locate all these components, and a driver and perhaps some passengers. Providing shelter or comfort to said humans was a secondary consideration.

Not surprisingly, two of the cars in this article that stray the least from this fundamental collection of parts are in classic car. The 1911 Mercer Raceabout and the 1916 Stutz Bearcat were among the first cars that one could consider sports cars, eschewing roofs and doors, among other things, in order to simplify and enhance the driving experience.

The other two cars is, while newer, do away with a roof altogether for different considerations outright high-speed racing in the case of the Mormon Meteor I. And style with the Edsel Ford's Model 40 Speedster.

It’s one thing to drive a car that is open to the elements, but it’s another thing altogether to drive one that doesn’t provide even the most rudimentary top. It requires a different level of commitment from both its drivers and its passengers. Ultimately, though, we treasure such cars because they discard all that can be frivolous and superfluous and give us instead something real, something raw.