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Ford overlooks the Big Apple in the 2015 Mustang Convertible [w/video]

Ford has done it again. Like in April of 1964, there is once again an all-new Mustang Convertible sitting on the observation deck of New York City's Empire State Building. This has been in the making for a little while, with the first report that Ford would recreate the sky-high publicity stunt coming out a few weeks back.
The process of getting the Mustang up there wasn't exactly easy. A Troy, MI-based company chopped up the new droptop, a necessary evil to get the Mustang on the Empire State Building's only freight elevator that runs to the 86th floor observation deck. But it was slightly more involved than just taking the car apart. The company, DST, built a mockup of the ESB's freight elevators, and then practiced its cuts on a second pre-production Mustang Convertible (measure twice, cut once).
The result of all this work are the images you see above. Yes, sitting in the crisp, morning air of midtown Manhattan, over 1,000 feet up, is this brilliant, Triple Yellow Mustang. Take a look up top for our gallery of images from today's event. You can also scroll down for videos and images of the process leading up to the ESB debut.

2015 Gordon McCall's Motorworks Revival

Considered the big kick off of the major festivities surrounding Monterey Car Week, this year's Gordon McCall's Motorworks Revival certainly didn't disappoint. For those unable to make it to the California coast, our own Drew Phillips was on hand to snap some of the beautiful vehicles on display for this gorgeous gallery. Held annually at the Monterey Jet Center, the event is always a feast for the eyes by collecting planes, a gang of exotic supercars, and some the top cars crossing the auction block over the coming days, like a Plymouth Hemi 'Cuda convertible. The Ford GT both new and old was a major attendee at this year's party. Among them, the Petersen Museum brought along an original racecar and a GT40 MKIII to promote an upcoming exhibit. The classics were complimented by the latest version that has continued to keep tongues wagging. The GT wasn't the only classic with a modern update there. Singer used the posh event for the North American debut of its stunning restoration of the Porsche 911 Targa. Shelby American was also at the revival for the public unveiling of the 50th Anniversary Daytona Coupe. On the more modern front, Honda was in attendance with the future NSX and one of the McLaren F1 cars that the company's engine powers. For further proof of the ritzy folks that attend this soiree, Pagani and Koenigsegg both had stands to show off their extremely quick wares.

New car market raining on convertibles' parade

Whether fitted with soft or hard folding lids, today's droptops are better than ever for year-round motoring. Advancements in power top mechanisms, sealing, aerodynamics, structural rigidity, rollover safety and creature comforts like heated and cooled seats mean that modern convertibles are more versatile and better to drive than ever before. Yet the segment's sales took a dive during the recession and haven't come back, Automotive News reports.
Part of that is because automakers are looking at today's more sensible buyers and simply not developing as many new models, and that lack of fresh iron is curbing sales. AN cites R.L. Polk data which notes that only about one percent of new vehicles registered in the US last year had tops that folded. Back in 2009, it was 1.4 percent, and it was 2 percent in 2006. All-in, some 151,636 convertibles were registered in 2012. That's more units more than were registered in each of the past three years, but the market has also grown as the economy has picked up speed, and as a percentage of new vehicles purchased, convertible sales are lagging.
Thus far in 2013, the Ford Mustang is America's top-selling convertible, with 6,421 units registered through the end of April, followed by its rival, the Chevrolet Camaro, at 4,751 units. The Volkswagen Beetle isn't far behind, with 4,305, but from that point, it's a steep drop off to the fourth-place Mercedes-Benz SL-Class and its 2,380 sales.