THE glamourous image of an attractive couple enjoying open top motoring with hardly a hair out of place is normally just that - an image.
Reality tends to be wind in the hair, bugs in the teeth and the female half of the relationship non too happy about arriving somewhere looking as if she has spent the last two hours on the deck of a yacht caught in a storm.
But there is one car I have just discovered which enables you to enjoy the pleasures of a convertible without running the risk of a blazing row every time you insist on lowering the hood.
The Volvo C70 Convertible is probably the most wind free drop top I have come across, providing you have a wind deflector.
Raise the deflector, leave the side windows up and you will hardly notice the big open space above your head.
Now most convertibles offer wind deflectors as an option but their success rate varies from brilliant - in the case of the Volvo - to don't even bother to take it out of the boot, it's useless, in the case of some cars I could name.
Perhaps it's because Volvo is Swedish, and in that part of the world it can get so cold that you really do have to be snug to risk taking the roof down.
Whatever the reason, topless motoring in the C70 is an experience other car makers should take note of.
And because it is so wind free you can even lower the hood in the winter, have the heater on and still be warm and comfortable.
The latest C70 Convertible is a limited edition called the Collection, which comes with a host of extras.
The most noticeable, in the case of my 2.4T test car, was the superb soft leather seats in light tan with distinctive stitching, a striking contrast to the metallic charcoal grey of the bodywork.
The decorative stitching is also on the leather sun-visors, door panels and centre arm rest. Differences inside also include the aluminium inlays which give the dashboard a very distinctive look.
The Collection - of which just 300 are being made in 2004 - also stands out from other C70s thanks to its eye catching 17 inch polished alloy wheels.
Like all C70s the Collection edition is one of those rare convertibles which will happily seat five people in comfort.
On the road the 2.4-litre light turbo engine is a gutsy performer with instant kickdown response on the automatic gearbox model. The ride is excellent and the road holding surprisingly good for such a car.
The downside of the C70, however, is the boot. There isn't one. Well at least not much of one. The luggage space is taken up with a large "container" which houses the hood when it is lowered.
You can just about get one suitcase in and perhaps push some soft bags under the hood housing. After that you have to rely on the back seat.
But boot space apart the C70 Collection is a great all round car, particularly in the summer.
Did I mention, however, that with the wind deflector in place behind the front seats, the C70 effectively becomes a two seater ? Now if Volvo could just find a way of making the car wind free when there are four or five people travelling, that really would be a winner.
FAST FACTS
Volvo C70 2.4T Convertible
Price: £28,378
Mechanical: 200bhp, 2,435cc, 5cyl petrol engine driving front wheels via 5-spd automatic gearbox
Max speed: 130mph
0-62mph: 9 secs
Combined mpg: 25.9
Insurance group: 17
CO2 emissions: 261g/km
BiK rating: 35%
Warranty: 3yrs/ 60,000 miles; 8 yrs anti-rust; 3yrs paint