A day at the beach

When the sun comes out the soft tops go down and the owners of convertibles and cabriolets head for the beach. Not to be outdone, the cars with sun-roofs peel back the covers and join in the sunny, wind-in-your-hair fun. This diecast paparazzo was in the right place at the right time this weekend, a car park at the south end of Maroubra Beach in Sydney, where a succession of lovely cars passed in front of his lens.

Peugeot 402 Darl'mat Roadster, from 1938, one of a series of specials created
in the 1930s by Emile Darl'mat. With a 2-litre four-cylinder engine, it sped
down the roads quite nicely, but with its Art Deco styling it looks like it's
flying along at speed, even when parked at the beach.

Peugeot 203 Cabriolet from the early 1950s, an affordable convertible for the
sun-loving masses. With a 1300cc engine it was no speedster, but with its
tall gearing it sailed along the highway once it was wound up to speed.
This is a 1:43 Solido model.

Affordable cabriolets were popular in France in the 1950s. This is the Simca
Weekend, a 1956 model, also with a 1300cc engine. Model is by Altaya.

Definitely not so affordable, the 1949 Cadillac Coupe de Ville was
nevertheless very desirable, and this model is the first in what became
a long line of Coupe de Villes. With a 331 cu inch V8, it got along very easily.
This pretty model is made by Yatming.

The 1955 Chevrolet Bel Air really hit the spot with US buyers. With its new
265 cu inch OHV V8 it offered plenty of potential for boys who liked to play
with engines. This snazzy model is by Franklin Mint.

It's not just soft tops at the beach today, however. Sun-roofs are everywhere.
This is a Jaguar Mark V from 1950, my old family car in fact (well, until
Dad ran out of money trying to keep the Jag going – he eventually faced
up to reality and bought a Holden, which was much more his price bracket.)
This high quality resin model is by the Dutch company, Neo.

Speaking of price brackets, you don't have to pay big bucks to get the wind in
your hair and the sun in your lap. A Citroen 2CV Charleston has rooftop
windows aplenty, and of all the cars featured so far, it's probably the only
one that could happily drive along the beach as well. Model is by Altaya.

If you prefer Italian-flavoured sunshine on a low budget, a Fiat 500 will do
the job beautifully, and there's always a parking spot with these babies.
This model is by Starline.

Once they get their act together, these long-distance German tourists in their
Vee-Dub will get the soft top down and camp out here for a few days of beer
and sunburn. This model is a super-cheap ($15.50 new) plastic model from
China, made by Cararama. My wife was complaining about the lack of VWs
in my cabinet, saying she wanted to see one there. The next morning I was
in a hobby shop buying the neat green hedge used in these shots, when I
saw the Beetle with cute caravan. And my wife loves it.

And so that's it for the beach report this weekend. The surf is flat, so the carpark behind the beach is where the all the action is.