In simpler times, many car companies marketed their convertible models as the purest form of driving. These cars had an engine, wheels, a body and – if you were lucky – a top but little else.

As we wait for spring to come back, we’re taking a look at the small, affordable roadsters that were immensely popular in the US between the 1950s, when the segment boomed, and the 1990s, when the segment collapsed. When they were new, these cars cost less than $25,000 in 2019 American dollars.