Another MX in the news!
3 Likes
sun is definitely not news… 
plus I’ve done it plenty times. if its not heavy rain the water don’t actually come in the car
I can vouch that when on the motorway at 70mph and it’s lashing down, you get soaked 
.
I had to pull on to the hard shoulder, (I considered it an emergency), to put the roof up. Slowing down to a complete stop seamed to take an age, I was drenched .
Roof up, turn the heater on with the a/c on and your all good 
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I am sure there is an entertainment value there for everyone else too.
Photo courtesy Pete Twine
Yup been there many a time and only had to stop in the middle of nowhere in the open once or twice in 5 years.
That’s the true, red, MX-5 spirit !
I’ll get me coat 
Nah, that’s just a drop or two. Nothing to worry about. Must have been a slow news day.
(Although scrolling down to the other item teasers, it was probably the most interesting story of the day.)
Unfortunately the Police may not agree with your assessment. You risked a £100 fine and 3 points for inappropriate use of the hard shoulder.
Old Bill would find it hard to disagree it was an emergency, to put the roof up, when they learn that while the floor is flooding the ECU under the passenger seat is at risk of shorting out and causing a much bigger mid lane traffic issue on the motorway
That’s a fair point.
I find the rain comes in when driving an ND top down, whereas it used to be perfectly dry in the cabin of a Triumph Spitfire for hours in monsoon conditions.
My theory is the Spitfire’s dirtier aerodynamic created a more effective dry bubble.
1 Like
Sheer respect. Good man!! 
My granddaughter’s first lesson (at 9yo!) in aerodynamics, as we cruised from Beds to East Midlands in 2012 - “Grandpa - why aren’t we getting wet?”. The lesson ended with us both slightly damper as we slowed and pulled off at the next junction 
Brilliant 
Loads of times, in torrential rain in some cases, as long as you are doing 35+ you don’t get a damp head,That unless your 6’ or over . if you start to see a river of brake lights in front starting to happen, or your exit is looming closer, you need to get ready.
M-m
I drove in heavy rain on the M4 in the NA with the roof down. Apart from a little trickle of water coming round the quarterlights, it all goes over the top. Then I came off the motorway and got damp because there were traffic lights.
Surely stopping to put the top up when it has started raining is entirely appropriate use of the hard shoulder?
There are many potential safety implications - steering wheel and controls could get slippery; worst case pedals could get slippery; possibility of electrical malfunctions; distracted driver. I can’t see the police having any objections, and I suspect that they would be happier with a driver who did stop to put the roof up than one who continued driving in a situation where (a material amount of) water could enter the car.
“I suppose we’ve all done it…” what, inadvertently clicked on a link to an article in the Sun ? Yes, just now!!!
This reminds me years ago of a cambridge uni engineering course entrance exam question how fast do you have to go to not get wet. I now have some answers.
Ps usually been able to find a convenient bridge
That would have been my response exactly.
