Before I begin this story, let me quickly preface by saying our email system is erratic, to say the least.  For some reason, sometimes we receive emails; sometimes we don't; sometimes they go in the junk folder for no reason; sometimes they show up a week later... in other words, if you emailed us and didn't get a response, it's not that we don't care about you, because we do, it's just that we probably haven't found your email yet.

Why am I telling you this?  I'm glad you asked.

While going through our junk mail today, I came across of number of tips from you, our beloved readers, directing us to a recent test conducted by Car and Driver magazine. 

To those of you who sent the tip - Kirk, Jinx and Sanjeev, thank you gentlemen, we're forever in your gratitude.  We should have run the story sooner, but at least now you know the reason we didn't.

Now, on with the story.

As we've already alluded to, Car and Driver recently conducted a review comparing a number of exclusive convertibles - the 2006 BMW 650I, the 2006 Cadillac XLR-V, the 2007 Jaguar XK, the 2006 Porsche 911 Carrera, and the king among kings, the 2007 Mercedes SL550.

While it's true that each of these vehicles can be commended in their own right, in the end, only one can emerge victorious over the others.

So which was it? 

Do you even need to ask?  Would I be running this story if the Caddy won?

Of course not.

As has been the case time and time again, the winner, and still reigning champion... the Mercedes SL550, retaining its position as one of the most covetable vehicles in existence.

If you'd like to see how Car and Driver arrived at their decision, head over to their website to view the full article, including detailed reviews of each vehicle.

And thanks again to Kirk, Jinx, Sanjeev and anyone else that sent us this tip - we couldn't have done it without you.