Riviera Runabouts

Some cars make the most sense only when the journey is short, the weather is good and arriving with the roof down matters more than arriving quickly. This collection gathers machines shaped around that deliberately relaxed form of motoring: open cars intended for resorts, coastal roads, beaches, marinas, holiday estates and the social life surrounding them. Many began with ordinary mechanical foundations and were transformed through stripped-back bodywork, simplified interiors, lightweight fittings or playful details that would have made little sense in a conventional production car. Doors might become cut-outs, roofs disappear entirely and weather equipment be reduced to the bare minimum, because protection from rain, high-speed refinement and everyday practicality were never central to the brief. What mattered instead was accessibility - easy entry, open views, room for passengers, luggage or beach gear, and a character that felt appropriate at low speeds in glamorous surroundings. Their appeal lies partly in this lack of seriousness. Unlike grand tourers designed to devour continents or sports cars engineered around lap times, Riviera runabouts were built around leisure itself. They turned transportation into part of the holiday, using modest speed and minimal bodywork to create a sense of occasion that far more powerful machinery could struggle to match.