What does drophead mean?
A drophead is a motor car whose roof can be folded down, what American speakers would call a convertible. The term is chiefly British and is most often encountered today in the compound "drophead coupé," which denotes a two-door convertible retaining a full-width rear seat — a body style popularised by luxury marques such as Bentley, Jaguar, and Rolls-Royce in the mid-twentieth century. The word is transparently descriptive: it refers to the soft fabric top that drops down behind the occupants' heads. Although once standard vocabulary in the British motoring industry, "drophead" has largely given way to "convertible" or "cabriolet" in everyday speech, surviving mainly among classic-car enthusiasts, auction catalogues, and heritage model names. Its evocative, slightly old-fashioned character makes it a favourite in writing about vintage automobiles.
nounA motor car with a soft roof that can be folded down; a convertible. The term is chiefly British and often appears in the compound "drophead coupé," denoting a two-door convertible with a full-width rear seat.
- A car with a folding soft top; a convertible (British usage), especially in the compound "drophead coupé."
"He restored a 1960s Jaguar drophead and drove it along the coast with the top down all summer."
"The auction featured a beautifully restored Bentley drophead from the 1950s."
"Nothing beats touring the countryside in a vintage drophead on a sunny afternoon."
Regular plural; used when referring to multiple convertible cars.
"The rally attracted dozens of gleaming dropheads from the 1930s and 1940s."
"Drophead" is the word British classic-car enthusiasts reach for when an American would simply say "convertible" — it literally describes the roof dropping down onto your head.
Reviewed by Deb Chak, Editor. AI-assisted content curated by RJS Tech Solutions LLP.
Etymology of drophead
Drophead is formed by compounding the verb "drop" with the noun "head," referring to the folding head or hood of a car. It arose in early twentieth-century Britain as the automobile industry developed terms for open-top body styles, and became firmly established through the phrase "drophead coupé," borrowed from French "coupé." It belongs to the large family of "-head" compounds in English such as "figurehead," "masthead," and "overhead."
How drophead is actually used
Primarily British English, now largely confined to motoring journalism, classic-car circles, and manufacturer model names (e.g., "drophead coupé"). In everyday modern British speech, "convertible" or "cabriolet" is more common.
Easily confused with drophead
A hardtop has a fixed or rigidly removable roof, whereas a drophead has a folding fabric roof.