I have been thinking about a little engineering project for the X this winter, and I think a "quick soft top" would be really cool. I wonder if anyone has made any progress on this.
This topic comes up every few years, but as far as I can find other than Tony working up a "too-light for driving" prototype discussed in a brief thread in 2010, and an early snap-on accessory not much seems to be out there. Drilling snaps into the nice clean X lines is not appealing to me.
My seats got soaked in the parking lot at work last month when it rained when it was not supposed to, and my son who for the most part is really happy he picked his X over a Miata has that quick Miata top as his main regret. Sometimes he wants to throw a top on his car if he's going to be away from the car for a while, but would rather not dig around in the frunk, easy with a miata, easy with my old 124 spider.
Anyway, I have been thinking about three main approaches to the problem
First - a rollup quick cover for keeping out the rain while parked and reducing temptation to passersby to search the car when you leave the car a while, but it is not really intended for driving with any speed.
Maybe using a lighter version of the support bars and latches in our standard tops on each end and thick cloth flaps for the windows. Definitely not car pressure car wash proof, but better than nothing.
(My neighbor growing up would have called this "leaks like a Triumph" level engineering.....he drove an MG)
Second - attempting to beef up Tony's design using a donor top and side supports and heavier top material, that could roll or fold and slip behind the seats.
Third - a folding hardtop/reduced hardtop or frame made out of some really light material- with a canvas cover over the frame. But not complicated enough to be worse than getting the current top out of the frunk.
Anyone create anything like this? Better ideas? Pictures?
Burt
This topic comes up every few years, but as far as I can find other than Tony working up a "too-light for driving" prototype discussed in a brief thread in 2010, and an early snap-on accessory not much seems to be out there. Drilling snaps into the nice clean X lines is not appealing to me.
My seats got soaked in the parking lot at work last month when it rained when it was not supposed to, and my son who for the most part is really happy he picked his X over a Miata has that quick Miata top as his main regret. Sometimes he wants to throw a top on his car if he's going to be away from the car for a while, but would rather not dig around in the frunk, easy with a miata, easy with my old 124 spider.
Anyway, I have been thinking about three main approaches to the problem
First - a rollup quick cover for keeping out the rain while parked and reducing temptation to passersby to search the car when you leave the car a while, but it is not really intended for driving with any speed.
Maybe using a lighter version of the support bars and latches in our standard tops on each end and thick cloth flaps for the windows. Definitely not car pressure car wash proof, but better than nothing.
(My neighbor growing up would have called this "leaks like a Triumph" level engineering.....he drove an MG)
Second - attempting to beef up Tony's design using a donor top and side supports and heavier top material, that could roll or fold and slip behind the seats.
Third - a folding hardtop/reduced hardtop or frame made out of some really light material- with a canvas cover over the frame. But not complicated enough to be worse than getting the current top out of the frunk.
Anyone create anything like this? Better ideas? Pictures?
Burt