Editing Convertible (section)

=== Textile ===
[[File:BMW Z8 Heck.JPG|thumb|[[BMW Z8]] with a fabric roof in up position]]

A "soft top" is made from a flexible textile material:
* Early convertibles used cotton [[canvas]] woven so tightly that it was waterproof. Automakers had problems in securing raw materials to fulfill orders after World War II, including canvas in various shades for convertible tops, therefore limiting their manufacture.<ref>{{cite magazine |url= https://books.google.com/books?id=9EVWAAAAMAAJ&q=automakers+were+found+hustling+secure+raw+materials+to+fulfill+orders+Securing+canvas+in+various+shades+convertible+top+manufacture+was |page=42 |title=The Last Roadster |magazine=Cars and Parts |volume=43 |year=2000 |access-date=26 December 2022 |via=Google Books}}</ref>
* A cloth-based material has become more common in recent years.<ref>{{cite book|url= https://books.google.com/books?id=IjoS3stx2s0C&q=Haartz+cloth+is+found+mostly+on+newer,+more+expensive+convertibles.+It+actually+holds+up&pg=PA120 |page=120 |title=Muscle Car Interior Restoration Guide |first=Daniel |last=Stroll |publisher=CarTech |year=2009 |isbn=9781932494983 |access-date=26 December 2022 |via=Google Books}}</ref>

Other materials are also used in the convertible top. By 1955, the most popular materials were [[latex]] and [[butyl rubber]] fabrics that each accounted for around 35% of the convertible top's weight, with others included [[vinyl (fabric)|vinyl]] (12%), [[jute]] (8%), along with [[rayon]] and [[acrylic fiber]]s (Orlon), amounting to about 1% each in the compositions.<ref>{{cite book|url= https://books.google.com/books?id=rNA8AAAAYAAJ&q=Automobile+Convertible+materials |pages=8, 40–41 |title=Fabrics and Fibers for Passenger Cars: Automobile Manufacturers' Views, 1955 Compared with 1950, Issue 152 of Marketing research report |first=Milton |last=Jacobs |publisher=U.S. Department of Agriculture, Agricultural Marketing Service, Marketing Research Division |year=1957 |access-date=26 December 2022 |via=Google Books}}</ref> [[Polyvinyl chloride]] (PVC) material was used for many convertible tops. The material consists of two layers: a top layer made of PVC, which has a specific structure depending on the vehicle model, and a lower layer made of fabric (usually cotton).

The collapsible textile roof section over an articulated folding frame may include linings such as a sound-deadening layer and/or an interior cosmetic lining, to hide the frame.

The folded convertible mechanism with the top is called the stack.<ref>{{cite web |last1=Powell |first1=James C. |title=Convertible vehicle top stack mechanism |url= https://www.freepatentsonline.com/7032951.html |website=freepatentsonline.com |date=25 April 2006 |access-date=26 December 2022}}</ref> Designs that fold down to a lower stack height offer a smoother silhouette for the car with the top down while concealed side rails allow room for three passengers in the back seat such as on the [[Rambler Rebel#1967|1967 Rambler Rebel]] convertible.<ref>{{cite web |title=1967 AMC Data Book - Rambler Rebel convertible |page=34 |url= http://oldcarbrochures.org/United%20States/AMC/1967_AMC/1967_AMC_Data_Book/slides/1967_AMC_Data_Book-034.html |website=oldcarbrochures.org |access-date=26 December 2022}}</ref>