Soft Top vs Hard Top

[Speedo]

@Chris Phillips

@Speedo

@Chris Phillips

@Denbow

@Speedo

Soft top for my NC as there are many crisp winter days with lovely blue sky to get the roof down. Can’t see the point in a hard top to be honest, might as well buy a ‘proper’ car!!!

 

I haven’t seen any crisp winter days around here for a long time. I only use the detachable between November and March and prefer the added security. Each to their own, horses for courses and all that. 

   

 

 

 

Different strokes for different folks !

Hey, does anyone else remember that 1970s American sit-com ?

 

 

What you talking about Willis?

 

 

Aha, like me, you are obviously of ‘a certain age’ Speedo !

  

 

 

 

You’ve rumbled me!!! 

 

 

 

 

 

[Steve398]

So is there a conclusion then Chris?

[Denbow]

I say, fors and against on both, each to their own. Viva la difference !!! 

[Chris_Phillips]

 

AND THE WINNER IS …

 

                   

[Chris_Phillips]

 

WAIT FOR IT …

 

           

[Chris_Phillips]

 

Well of course, the answer is that we’re all winners, because we all have the good sense to buy MX-5s - the best little sports car in the world !

They are not without their little foibles, that’s true, but they are cool, and great fun, and whether you choose a soft-top, a hard-top, a PRHT, or an RF version, you are assured of a big smile whenever you drive one.

Happy ?  You should be !

 

                               

 

[Denbow]

Okay, I’ll go for that but I still say mine’s the best .

Now we need a thread about which is the best colour. Mine’s black, the fastest colour !!!   

[Chris_Phillips]

@Denbow

Okay, I’ll go for that but I still say mine’s the best .

Now we need a thread about which is the best colour. Mine’s black, the fastest colour !!!   

 

 

 

 

Beware though Dennis - according to some members a week or two ago, black MX-5s are invisible to other road users !

Mine is Galaxy grey - pretty dark in itself this time of year especially, and after a couple of near misses after only having her for a week, I have now gotten into the habit of driving everywhere with my headlights on !

Have fun !

  

[Majick]

@Steve398

7 seconds… I don’t have a problem with that, and I’m shallow enough to enjoy seeing the hood come up and over when I press a button!   

This is also a big part of the appeal for me When I was resigned to replacing my current car with a reasonably sensible family car, I had in mind that I’d find one with a ‘Start’ button simply because I like the idea of having a Big Red Button in a car.

The electric roof buttons on a mk3 will be a more than adequate replacement, given the other benefits of the car over a Focus ST or whatever I’d have ended up with otherwise!

[Denbow]

@Chris Phillips

@Denbow

Okay, I’ll go for that but I still say mine’s the best .

Now we need a thread about which is the best colour. Mine’s black, the fastest colour !!!   

 

 

 

 

Beware though Dennis - according to some members a week or two ago, black MX-5s are invisible to other road users !

Mine is Galaxy grey - pretty dark in itself this time of year especially, and after a couple of near misses after only having her for a week, I have now gotten into the habit of driving everywhere with my headlights on !

Have fun !

  

 

 

Strangely enough Chris,  I haven’t been invisible to others (so far). There’s so much polish it stands out like a beacon.  

[tsoob]

Hard top in the winter, soft top in the summer.

 

Just got back from Rhones Alpes - The hard top lets me carry my snowboard on the roof!

[Cletus_Van_Damme]

I had a wide budget when I bought my car.  I’ve never been bothered about the age of a car I prefer low mileage.  Obviously age of a car is an issue with the MX5 as they are usually terrible underneath if driven all year round with no rust proofing.  I originally wanted the power hard top, but only saw poor examples, one was just 4 years old, but the bodywork was poor, lots of scuffs.  I was also concerned if it went wrong, but I viewed that many poor cars I wasn’t bothered what roof it had, as long as I got a good one.

My car was nearly ten years old when I bought it, but by far the best car I looked at.  It’s a soft top, and I love how simple and well engineered it is.  The car is garaged so don’t have that much security problems.  If I ever took the car away it would always be in the back of my mind, if somebody bothered it.

I went to look at the new ND hard top the other day, at first I thought it was striking, but when I had a good look, I think I preferred the soft top that was next to it.  I’m still not sold on the looks of them though, they remind me of a BMW, to some a plus point, to me a negative.  Probably grow on me though. The dealer also sells Fiat’s, i think I prefer the retro look of the 124.

I don’t really have a strong preference to be honest, but the hard top is definitely better for security, I prefer the soft top for looks though. Everybody to their own though.

[Sim22]

@Chris Phillips

 

AND THE WINNER IS …

 

                   

. There is only one winner, the detachable hard top, because you can have the best of both worlds, it only takes my wife and me 2 minutes to take of on those sunny winter days 

[BigginAndy]

@Denbow

Okay, I’ll go for that but I still say mine’s the best .

Now we need a thread about which is the best colour. Mine’s black, the fastest colour !!!   

My Ceramic must be faster than your black as its lighter

 

[OnboardG1]

@BigginAndy

@Denbow

Okay, I’ll go for that but I still say mine’s the best .

Now we need a thread about which is the best colour. Mine’s black, the fastest colour !!!   

My Ceramic must be faster than your black as its lighter

 

Red ones go faster (no idea if anyone is nerdy enough to get that reference). 

 

[Denbow]

@OnboardG1

@BigginAndy

@Denbow

Okay, I’ll go for that but I still say mine’s the best .

Now we need a thread about which is the best colour. Mine’s black, the fastest colour !!!   

My Ceramic must be faster than your black as its lighter

 

Red ones go faster (no idea if anyone is nerdy enough to get that reference). 

 

 

 

Black does it with Stealth 

I got it, must be nerdy. 

[Chris_Phillips]

@OnboardG1

@BigginAndy

@Denbow

Okay, I’ll go for that but I still say mine’s the best .

Now we need a thread about which is the best colour. Mine’s black, the fastest colour !!!   

My Ceramic must be faster than your black as its lighter

 

Red ones go faster (no idea if anyone is nerdy enough to get that reference). 

 

 

 

Sorry G1 - I’m a ‘techno-thickie’ - it went right over my head !

[Countryboy]

@Sim22

@Chris Phillips

 

AND THE WINNER IS …

 

                   

. There is only one winner, the detachable hard top, because you can have the best of both worlds, it only takes my wife and me 2 minutes to take of on those sunny winter days 

 

(Un)fortunately I don’t have one of those (wife), so I couldn’t manage the other (dht)!  Or is it the other way around/

[seriousrikk]

@Chris Phillips

@joecottrell

@Jeff Palmer

Chris,

I have a daily driver soft topped NC that lives in a garage at the end of a long drive. It regularly sits in a company car park on work days, never had an issue with vandalism or water ingress. The wife has mentioned on numerous occasions that I really should get a hard top for the winter months. On a totally different subject, don’t mean to high jack the thread but; the ROB WALKER concern, F1 and all that? Please do tell.

Jeff.

@Chris Phillips

“When I worked as a motor mechanic for Rob Walker’s in the 1970s”

Chris Phillips.

   

 

 

Rob Walker, one of the great unsung F1 heroes in the early days.

I recall he had a Gull Wing merc ROB 1 or WALK 1 or something similar

 

 

 

 

Hey Joe,

Old age being what it is, I cannot remember the reg. no. of Rob Walker’s ‘Gullwing’ Merc, and an internet search doesn’t seem to be able to throw any light on the subject.

He also used to bring up a Ferrari for its annual test too.  This one I only saw once, and the memory is a bit foggy on that one.  I seem to recall it was red (what else ?), a completely topless single-seater (no weather protection at all !), but with a fully-enclosed body - ie: not exposed wheels like an F1-type single-seater car would have.  I can’t remember anything else about it, nor have I been able to find out what it was on the internet.

I did manage to find on-line, a photo of his Mini Sprint - a white example reg. no. RRW 1.  Mini Sprints were a special edition version of the old BMC Mini, which had been completely lowered - not only on the suspension, but a lowered roof-line too, all done (if memory serves (!) in Rob’s own workshops).

Boy, that seems like another life !  And two divorces ago as well !

Chris.

  

My google-fu is strong today.

My Mercedes-Benz 300SL

 

Registration Rob 2 clearly visible if you use the zoom function on the pictures down the right hand side.

 

 

 

[Johns_Lad]

My NC came with a hard top which is currently on and at first i didnt like it but now, three months in and planning to remove it next weekend I actually like it. It gives you the extra security, (Like others, mines a daily and is being parked on the road), the bigger rear screen is great, slightly more headroom and the car actually feels more rigid with it on. As I have said, she will be reverting back to soft top mode next week so the hard top will be residing in the inlaws shed