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v f6 economist sisunsuntnmjlbwrlons saturdayaug 13 2065 u staff photosteve somerville patricia martin and her mutt nick enjoy a ride through stouffville in her daughters convertible g topless new vintage convertibles still thrilling automotive enthusiasts by hannelore volpe staff writer d riving a convertible under a starfilled sky is the closest thing to feeling the freedom of flight peteyiotis gastis says but back when he was driving his very first convertible a 1955 ford fairlane it didnt take him long to notice another very good reason to let the top down it impressed thegirls the unionville artist has been impressing the opposite sex ever since owning several convertibles over the years you feel free as a bird espe cially when you are driving in the country under the trees listening to music and the air hits you mr gastis said the convertibles popularity hasnt dwindled over the past cen tury according to antique and clas sic car restorer harold woollings of vampire performance in bradford just north of newmarket a 1948 convertible as well an austin mini from around the late 60s and a 1941 mercury sit in mr woollings shop waiting to be restored its enough to make any car buff drool theyre brought in by people in their 30s and up who want to restore a car that made an impact on them when they were teenagers or that reminds them of their very first vehicle some people inherit cars from grandparents and decide to have them brought back to pristine condition a significant number of con vertible owners are women in their 40s and men in their 50s stouffville resident pat martin has noticed several friends and neighbours bought convertibles once they hit that midlife crisis stage for more info the guild of automotive restorers 9057750499 twin hills ford and lincoln ltd 9058844441 camaro heaven www camaroheavennet maranello bmw 4162135699 ford wwwfordca ostensibly the sporty white convertible in her driveway was bought for the familys 20yearold daughter emilie i wish it was mine mrs mar tin said wistfully but thathasnt stopped her from slipping behind the wheel lately she has been casting cov etous glances at it especially when she remembers emilie is heading to university next month the convertible unlike a regular car gives you a real sense of free dom with the sun on your shoul ders and the wind in your hair mrs martin said topless vehicles are also known as cabriolets or ragtops the term ragtop comes from the early 1900s when convertibles were constructed of wood strips with canvas stretched over steel tops began appearing in the 1920s although canvas tops could still be found into the 1930s on twoseater roadsters as they were known over the decades removing and replacing the top has become easier the modelt convertible top was difficult to get down mr woollings said by the 1960s convertibles tops could be raised or lowered in about five minutes now the 2006 porsche 911 car- rera cabriolet advertises an elec tronic soft top that opens or closes in 20 seconds and weighs a little more than 92 lbs see ragtop page 17 flick portrays sad dysfunctional grunge star anne brodie on movies last days starnng michael pitt a gus van sant film this is gus van sants long- awaited mediation on the last days of seattle grunge god kurt cobain 196794 there are disclaimers the story and characters are fictional but thats not altogether true many of the actors in the film play charac ters with their own names the film is dedicated to mr cobain lead singer and guitarist of the american grunge band nirvana he served not only as the bands frontman but as its leader and spiritual centre mr cobain died of a self- inflicted gunshot wound at his estate sparking a wave of con spiracy theories did his wife actressrock star courtney love order a hit on him or drive him insane did his socalled friends kill him because he wouldnt give themany more money the cobain character blake is a dilapidated rock star holed up in his rural stone mansion also dilapidated with a house full of hangerson who dont want the party to end they dont call anyone when blake repeatedly passes out cold or wanders around with a shotgun mr pitt lost weight to do this movie he looks so similar to mr cobain its frightening even though mr van sant really only shows us his face in the last 10 minutes the rest of the time its hidden behind a curtainof long blonde hair blakes a tortured figure cer tainly rich beyond his wildest dreams and as influential as any modern pop icon but unable to function even to make himself a bowl of cereal and eat it see you page 17 sell locally get local exposure for yqur business by advertising inydrkrenbikim our business readership includes ovner3rnanage well as chamber of commerce and bp affordable advertising campaigns tail ad rates start af 70 per month and incl trade i all and jfessionat esses and design call our sales department for information 9052942200 targeted distribution of 1 6000 monthly copies a fcvo ft