One of the most fundamental truisms of the collector-car industry is this: When the top goes down, the price goes up.

And at the 40th Annual Barrett-Jackson Collector Car Event, with each passing day, the auction docket gets a little higher quality and little pricier. So the cars will be even better today, on Day 3 of the auction.

For today’s top five list of cars to watch, we’re going to go topless. In fact, let’s call today Topless Thursday, with five cool convertibles for your pleasure. See them all after the jump!

LOT 649, 1969 Jaguar XK-E — Arguably the sexiest car ever built, the Jaguar XK-E was dubbed “the ultimate crumpet collector,” for its pure sex appeal. This car is a 45,000-mile original and the maroon over black paint scheme is fabulous. I owned a 1969 XK-E in maroon and can testify that in person these are stunningly beautiful cars. Alas, they do feature the dreaded Lucas “Prince of Darkness” electronics, but, hey, you can’t have everything.

LOT 635.1, 1955 Porsche 550 Spyder Re-creation —  Want to fuel your wildest James Dean fantasies? Check out this bad boy, a 1955 Porsche 550 Spyder tribute car, with a 2180-c.c. flat-four engine and twin Weber 44 carburetors and a four-speed transaxle. Tons of period-correct attention to detail and with a weight of just 1300 pounds or so, it’s fast enough and nimble enough to be entertaining.

LOT 691.1, 1960 Willys Jeep Surrey — Trimmed out in fun beach colors of Cerulean Blue and Glacier White, this fully restored Willys features top-notch paint and chrome, as well as waterproof fabric upholstery and Surrey top. Just the thing for your next trip to Fantasy Island. You can almost hear Tattoo yelling, “Boss! Boss! De Plane! De Plane!”

LOT 696.1, 1966 Ford Mustang — No car defined the 1960s as much as the Ford Mustang, which spawned a whole new class of vehicles, the pony cars. This one has all the goodies: red paint, 289 V-8, deluxe Pony interior, Rally Pak, wood steering wheel, rally wheels, power steering and brakes, and an AM/FM radio. This car screams “summer” and you can almost hear the Byrds and the Jefferson Airplane already.

LOT 732.1, 1957 Oldsmobile 98 Starfire — The Starfire was Oldsmobile’s top-of-the-line offering, with its 371-cubic-inch, 300-horsepower Rocket V-8 engine. Known at the J-2, this motor feature three two-barrel carburetors and was a hit on the NASCAR circuit. These cars were both fast and luxurious, among the most desirable cars of the era. Goodness gracious, great balls of fire!

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