Spyder reviewed by a blonde...

[Perfectlap]

Originally Posted by Frodo

Amen to that. ALL of that, especially the manually retractable soft top. I know there exists this "let's go Spartan for the sake of shedding pounds" mentality, and I guess it's good in theory, even good in practice with regard to many items one can have (or choose not to have) in a driving machine. But what Porsche chose to do in this case seems totally impractical and, well, just kind of silly.

I think some engineer at Porsche thought it would be more dramatic looking if it had the bikini top instead of a Miata top. I used to have a miata and even in the worst downpours I could flick that top up and lock it shut in two seconds with one hand. If Porsche had used a high tech, lighweight fabric, some carbon fiber bows/frame materials and titanium hardware, the whole manual top could have been made at less than 8 pounds. It would probably cost a few grand to replace at the dealer but they probably spent 1,000 x's that much reinvening the wheel with the bikini top in the egineering lab.

p.s.
I dated a blonde with a terrible tatoo near the top of the bikin line. She got it when she was right out of highschool and has hated it every day since. That wasn't about to stop me from asking her out when I met her on the beach because she was a near perfect 10 otherwise.

[JTP]

Originally Posted by Perfectlap

I think some engineer at Porsche thought it would be more dramatic looking if it had the bikini top instead of a Miata top. I used to have a miata and even in the worst downpours I could flick that top up and lock it shut in two seconds with one hand. If Porsche had used a high tech, lighweight fabric, some carbon fiber bows/frame materials and titanium hardware, the whole manual top could have been made at less than 8 pounds. It would probably cost a few grand to replace at the dealer but they probably spent 1,000 x's that much reinvening the wheel with the bikini top in the egineering lab.

I think the decision to go with the 'build it yourself' top has more to do with wanting to highlight the humps. A manual top wouldn't work with the way the humps go right up to the toll bars.

[husker boxster]

I thought I heard somewhere that Porsche is changing the top on this year's Spyder. Has anyone seen or heard that too? A design change would address the Spyder's weakest point.

The current bikini top would be impractical everywhere but SoCal, where it never rains. Opps, check that, it's impractical everywhere.

[JTP]

The Spyder's bikini top isn't that much more impractical than a Targa top from a 911 or a 914. Not that I can afford to go out and buy one but for me, the added performance of the Spyder is worth living without a power top and interior luxuries.

They will probably sell more Spyders in the UK than anywhere else despite the crappy weather there. Most Morgan owners never bother putting their tops up.