Lets get this settled up front: I love convertibles. I love sports cars and I cherish little roadsters. It all goes back to 1972. Id finished my hitch in the Army and was looking for a car that would be affordable to drive during my college years. Id saved up about $1,500 for that purpose. Seekinig a dependable used car, I walked onto the lot of an Oldsmobile dealership where my dad had bought several cars. The old salesman listened to my story. ‘How about something brand new?

He took me to a back corner of the lot, where there were three little Fiat 850s parked. For reasons that would...