Zeintop installed
 

For those of you that don't go to PPBB or 6speed:

http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2329/...69400139_o.jpg

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http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2373/...4bf98067_o.jpg

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CW

My .02 Cents, rims are only Good for track, paint the top , and hood all the same color.

They are for track... hes on the racing boards...

Is that hood CF?

Yes. It's painted black, though. Weighs 6 lb IIRC, although it's been a while since I weighed it.

CW

Solid color
 

Here are some pics of a solid AS car and a solid black car:

http://www.zeintec.com/dyn_images/ga...sche%20041.jpg

http://www.zeintec.com/dyn_images/ga...sche%20046.jpg

http://www.zeintec.com/dyn_images/ga...sche%20047.jpg

http://www.zeintec-usa.com/EnlargedG...itos%20Bay.jpg

http://www.zeintec-usa.com/EnlargedG...%20Village.jpg

http://farm2.static.flickr.com/1038/...69316fea_o.jpg

CW

I just love it!!! I wish it didnt cost so much though!! Both the silver and black look great.

Positively not on board with this at all.

• Side windows looks odd and out of place from most angles
• A rear window that large and at such a low angle would require a rear wiper
• Defeats the purpose of the relatively easy on/off of the normal hard top
• Way too many lines, car loses its smoothness
• Disrupts the flow of a Boxster, looks like a kit car of a Cayman (oh wait, I guess it is)

Now then, about this specific car:

• Two toned? Really? I guess I shouldn't complain about that... it's like, if a Boxster had purple flames painted on it... and I were complaining about the FLAMES being purple instead of a standard orange...
• Are those tail lights mix-matched? It looks like the left one is 550 style and the right has some amber to it... (maybe a temporary replacement, as the bumper is damaged too)
• Why? If the guy is an autocrosser, so much that he has a carbon fiber hood, why add all that weight back with a jumbo-sized hard top?

Personally, I think it looks like crap, no offense to those who like it.
That side window really looks poorly proportions.

I think that looks great.

The only problem (for me) would be the removal for summer, looks difficult to store

Not crazy about the two-tone either, but I love the look of the Zeintop. I think it looks way better than the standard Boxster hardtop, which to me looks too much like a bubble, doesn't integrate as smoothly as it should with the rear of the car.

I don't quite get the debate about the fact that it looks like a Cayman. Of course it looks like the Cayman, as it should - as we know, the Cayman is essentially the hard top of the Boxster platform. Seems to me that this is the hard-top Porsche should have created for the Boxster in the first place!

whats the fit like, is there panel gaps all over? quality of the paint work?

im lookng at gettin a hardtop but i think they look like a bubble and these are about the same price.

whats the warranty or garantee like if im not happy with the fit, paint etc etc?

any pics of the roof lining?

The hard top Porsche should have created? Nope. As you can see it requires the removal of the boot. Not quite a simple task for easy on/off access.

It's not that it looks like a Cayman, it looks like an attempted Cayman. And to me, it's as much of a Cayman as this is a Carerra GT...

http://i9.tinypic.com/4pby4bn.jpg

Not a big fan of that top. I prefer my original top to the Zeintop, especially for that pricetag. But, there is one out there, I forgot who posted it a while ago---where the back window looked much better proportionately--- the pricetag for either of the new hardtops are still a bit ridiculous though IMHO. :cheers:


EDIT: Here it is: http://www.stuttgart.co.uk/986hardtop/boxht2.html

Porschekid and 986spyder posted it previously.

Yes, an hour or so work to take it off or put it on, but that's nothing to have a great looking coupe half the year, and a convertible the other half, if that's what someone wants. It's a fantastic option to have available.

I just don't see the issue at all with it looking like a Cayman. A Cayman IS a boxster with a hard-top, permanent from factory. Not liking it because it looks like a Cayman is to me like saying you shouldn't put a hard top on a 3-series convertible, because it will look like the non-convertible 3-series. Only difference is one is from factory, and one isn't.

Either way, to each his/her own. I love it! If it were $2,500, I'd order mine today..

I have to agree with this too. Only the 2-tone paint job looks bad. If your going to go that way, at least paint your "A" pillars to make it a solid flow from front to back and fix your bumper before spending money on a new car part no matter what it may be. Priorities seem out of order here.

More complaining...
 

It doesn't look like a Cayman!

Sure, the Cayman is a hard top version of a Boxster (sorta), but the Cayman is based of a 987 -not a 986. And if you don't think that makes a big difference in the outcome, I believe you are mistaken. The subtle changes in a car's design from one generation to another are so much more noticeable when you start mixing the generations. It's something I preach about all the time, it's the flow! This top, aside from looking kit-like, doesn't go with the flow.

i agree, it not even close to like a cayman.

That maybe true, but Zeintop makes one for the 987 Boxster also which makes it look just like a Cayman. The OVERALL shape is still there even for the 986 Boxster. Just look at these pictures here. Slightly different shape, but I bet the average person on the street who doesn't know Porsches and Boxsters like we do would think it was a Cayman if they saw one.
http://i5.photobucket.com/albums/y15...andBoxster.jpg
http://i5.photobucket.com/albums/y15...dBoxster01.jpg

My point exactly. The overall shape is there, the general idea, the concept. But that doesn't make it look good. It's the subtleties that make or break great design.

And seeing both cars side by side really shows where the greatest problem is... that window! That and the gaping lines. I'm a stickler for tight lines.

I think that's all I will say on this subject...

Well there really isn't much they can do with that window because you have to make it work with the existing car door windows that are in the doors of the boxster 986. They are a different shape at the top and rear where they meet the roof line. So you are stuck with what you have to work with on the side windows. They do mimic the Cayman shaped corner panels. Again the 987 looks identical to the Cayman because it does have the SAME shape door windows as the Cayman. Wish I had a picture of the 987 with the Zientop so you could see how close they are. To each his own. :cheers:

The Black modified Box looks a hell of alot better then the regular Cayman. Some ppl whine about a Cayman being a 911 wannabe, and a Box being a Cayman wannabe, then a Box not being a real Porsche. Jeph, some ppl may say by you putting on 911 headlights makes your box a 911 wannabe and destroys the smooth lines. I personally like the way you did it because it's different from 99% of the other boxes. That hardtop rocks imo but I would go with the other guys and say pick a color.

I know you're just saying that as an example, but...

I have no problem with others thinking my car is a 911 wannabe, that's truly a matter of opinion. However, if one were to say it "destroys smooth lines" is really a less subjective statement then one may realize. On any car, smooth, consistent lines is an important part of good design. And when it comes to proper design, some people get it, some people don't. That's not to belittle the opinions of those who think this hard top looks good. But being a designer, I'd wager my standards and knowledge on what works and what doesn't is considerably more stringent than most peoples. I'm not trying to sound elite, I'm just defending the honor of the lines.

In any profession, you can't help but to be a critic. If you pave roads, you notice every road you drive on. If you're a builder, every building you walk in, and a writer, everything you read. I would trust a paver, a builder, and a writer in their areas of expertise over mine. Know what I mean? I'm not asking anyone to change their opinions, I'm just showing others where I'm coming from.

my 2 cents
 

I think Zeintop is a great new innovative top. I think the 986 in general looks better and more aggressive than the 987, which look weaker and more feminin. The Zeintop on the 986 looks much better than a Cayman. the Lines on the 986 make the car look more exotic. My favorite Zeintop product is the Cayman style spoiler which you dont see in these pics. Its two parts, one on the bumper and the spoiler itself. Even if you dont like the top and get this spoiler and pair it with a Oem hardtop it will look hot. its just that the spoiler is north of 800 bucks. I guess thats the price of exclusitivity.

Blimey...its gettin hot in ere!!!!

I like to see different ideas being tried out.....and yes I like to see different Boxsters.....I have the standard hard top.....and.......I will stick with it, it looks like its trying too hard to be something its not, and in my view a standard Boxster is better than a cayman anyway.

And I like the 911 lights!!!...That was done well and I think updates the 986 look, as they did with the 996 in 2001....maybe they should of done the Boxster as well!! :cheers:

I love this top. I've always thought the stock 986 hardtop looked far too Miata-esque. When I saw this, I wondered why Porsche hadn't done the same thing.

Half the year, I find the convertible top insufficient at retaining heat. Investing an hour or so at the beginning and again at the end of the spring/summer season seems well worthwhile.

I don't think one can say "If it's nay Porsche, tis crap" with this mod. :)

I really like it. I think it looks like an older style Cayman if they had introduced it with the 986 body. Not something that I would do to mine, but I do think it looks good.

I love the rear spoiler that they sell. I think it's way overpriced, but it's also new to the market. I'm sure that someone will be selling a knock off of it in the near future. The spoiler on the two-toned Box in the first picks looks to be crooked (driver's side sits higher than the passenger side). I'd fix that and get the rascal painted and pop that dent out on the rear bumper cover. I think it will look :cool:

Any pics with the hatch open?

I've got this pic

I think the top looks great. Gives you a second car.

Just way, WAY too much dough

So has anyone else here gotten and installed one, lived with for a few months and seen any bugs, flaws, etc? I'm really seriously considering getting one. I have a '99 with a factory hard top, Techart wheels and body kit and rear spoiler. The car looks great as is, but I dig the pseudo-Cayman look to be honest. I can sell my hard top for $1500 or more, so the difference isn't that bad to have a truly 2nd look. But, I'd like to hear some real feedback from end users. Trying to upload a pic...does anyone else have problems???!!!!! Thanks, Dan

Kinda like it
 

I actually think its pretty cool. Whether its perfect, I'm sure collectively we could all find something we would like to see improved on it. Reality is, if I had to get a hard top that would be the one I choose. It is a bit pricey though, $5k is a lot of money personally. I could think of a lot of other ways I spend $5k to improve my boxster. But thats not to say it's not cool. I think it's nice if you can afford one and if I could I probably would.