In the same way that estate cars have recently been formed into sub-divisions called Tourer, Touring, Aero Deck and so on, convertibles have begun to appear with model names like Cabrio or Cabriolet. The manufacturers who use these terms for four-seater soft tops might not be so enthusiastic if they understood where the word cabriolet came from in the first place.

Yes, it was used for a certain type of horse-drawn carriage. But carriages of that particular design were notorious for their bouncy ride, and they took their name from the French word ''cabriole'', which means a caper around or, in gymnastics, a somersault.

In modern times, though, the name is thought to imply a certain degree of ''posh'', although it is noticeable that the most expensive car of this kind on the market, built by Bentley, is simply a convertible.

As with most types of car, there are many different sizes and price brackets in the convertible market. One thing to watch out for, though, is that some convertibles are a design generation back from the equivalent saloon. They come with an older-fashioned look, and may not have the same technical specification as other cars in the catalogue bearing a similar model name.

Is a convertible worth having in the Scottish climate? The most up-to-date ones are certainly snug, but you have to take account of how businesslike the hood is. Is it quite flimsy, or does it have several layers of material providing decent insulation?

At least as important, if it has to be raised and lowered manually, are the catches which fasten it to the top rail of the windscreen robust and at the same time easy to use? When the hood is up, how is visibility not just directly to the rear but also to the rear quarters? Is the rear window made of glass, or of plastic which might crease quite easily?

If you are happy with all of this, that is still only half the battle. You have to find the car pleasant to drive with the hood down. Most modern convertibles manage to keep wind swirls out of the front seat occupants' laps, just ruffling the driver and front passenger's hair, but in many of them the people behind are as exposed as they would have been in an old-style dickey seat.

Since these cars are created by removing the steel roof of a monocoque structure, they would not be robust enough if left in that condition. Convertible manufacturers put in extra strengthening to make up for the rigidity lost when the original roof was removed.

It is almost impossible in a ''converted'' car to avoid some degree of scuttle shake over poorly surfaced roads. And the weight put back on tends to be greater than the weight removed in the first place, which is why convertibles are often heavier than their saloon counterparts, and not so quick off their mark.

Several types, incidentally, are not produced in open top form by the original manufacturers, but are shipped off to have the conversion done by specialist contractors.

Convertibles certainly turn heads, and in good weather there is nothing to beat an open car out on quiet country roads. When your motoring comes complete with natural birdsong, and with the scent of pines wafting in as you drive alongside a forest, it is unusually relaxing.

In small to middling size cars the Fiat Punto, Ford Escort, Peugeot 306, Renault Megane, Rover, Vauxhall Astra and Volkswagen Golf are all represented in the convertible market. A size up, Audi keeps the faith by offering its cabriolet, based on the older A6, with three different engine sizes. Saab is very strong in the open car market, selling the 9-3 with a choice of two-litre and 2.3 normally aspirated engines, as well as a two-litre turbo.

Mercedes is about to introduce a four-seat cabriolet version of the CLK, seen here until now only in coupe form. Having made its debut at the Geneva Show in March, the cabriolet will be imported first of all with the supercharged 2.3-litre Kompressor engine, and a 3.2-litre V6 will be added in a few months' time. These are premium cars, and Mercedes expects to sell about 500 of them in a full year.

BMW has a range of 3-series convertibles which starts with a 318 , a 323 and a 328 in ascending order of engine size, and tops out with a really serious 3.2-litre M3 high performance version.

The M3 is the first car to use BMW's new six-speed sequential manual gearbox, whose electronic and hydraulic add-ons make it the closest thing in a production road car to the kind of transmission Grand Prix drivers use. This model also comes with one of BMW's finest straight-six engines.

Indisputably the king of the convertible castle is the very limited production Bentley Azure. There is nothing ordinary about this car's individual features. Even the mesh-type radiator grille, a traditional Bentley feature, is laser cut in stainless steel

Using Rolls-Royce's own 6.75-litre V8 in 385bhp tune, rather than the twin-turbo BMW engine which powers the new Arnage, this is one of the most glamorous cars in Europe, as it should be with a price tag on the high side of #230,000.