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that is certainly one approach i have considered - bond a set of speed humps to the tonneau cover and remove all the seams so that it looks like one piece. bonded together like that you wouldn't need the straps to fasten it to the roll bar - it would be rigid enough to support itself. you could then make two, one, or no-hump versions, and make them lighter as well. check out the new boxster spyder to see what the humps mated to the tonneau cover look like.
the only issue now becomes that you have to remove the panel to operate your roof, and have no place to store it (can't use the spinlocks when the roof is up). the solution to that becomes a lightweight roof as is on the new boxster spyder. if you go that route you don't need the stock roof and can delete it (save weight). do that and you have no place to attach your tonneau cover in the back. but some other mechanism can be found for that (ie, precision chassis works makes a bracket just for that purpose).
the next step i took mentally was to delete the engine cover as well. you do that and you would have to put ventilation slats in the new cover, and perhaps heat/fire shielding. also, you would have to isolate the cabin from the engine compartment, so the new cover would have to roll down at the front to seal against the bulkhead separating the passenger compartment from the engine compartment.
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