For convertible buyers, the top is a key consideration. There are several types, with important differences that can impact your driving enjoyment.
June 10, 2006 (Press Release) --
For convertible buyers, the top is a key consideration. There are several types, with important differences that can impact your driving enjoyment.
The simplest tops are little more than a layer of canvas stretched over a steel framework. These must be manually unhooked from the windshield bow and physically folded down into a recess at the rear of the car. Some ragtops, such as the one on the Mazda MX-5, are so simple and light that their lack of power activation is almost irrelevant.
When these tops are folded, they can be hidden under a plastic tonneau cover that clips in place. But the cover is optional; you can drive such roadsters without it if you don’t mind the slightly messy look.
The next level is the cloth top, with a modicum of soundproofing, and the capability to go up and down at the push of a button. Purists argue that tops such as the Porsche Boxster’s or Chevrolet Corvette’s are semi-automatic, because they require the driver to physically unhook a latch that secures the top to the windshield bow. Fully automatic tops, such as those on the Audi TT and BMW Z4, do the unhooking/hooking electrically and top operation is seamless.
The fabric tops on luxury cabriolets appear from the outside to be standard convertible tops, but from inside the car the heavy padding and soundproofing are apparent. There’s often a color-coordinated final layer that makes the top appear from inside the car to be the roof of a conventional coupe (the Mercedes CLK cabrio is an example). Such tops are invariably automatic, but a few have the disadvantage of being bulky enough that they can’t be retracted entirely out of sight and instead perch atop the trunk.
The simplest tops are little more than a layer of canvas stretched over a steel framework. These must be manually unhooked from the windshield bow and physically folded down into a recess at the rear of the car. Some ragtops, such as the one on the Mazda MX-5, are so simple and light that their lack of power activation is almost irrelevant.
When these tops are folded, they can be hidden under a plastic tonneau cover that clips in place. But the cover is optional; you can drive such roadsters without it if you don’t mind the slightly messy look.
The next level is the cloth top, with a modicum of soundproofing, and the capability to go up and down at the push of a button. Purists argue that tops such as the Porsche Boxster’s or Chevrolet Corvette’s are semi-automatic, because they require the driver to physically unhook a latch that secures the top to the windshield bow. Fully automatic tops, such as those on the Audi TT and BMW Z4, do the unhooking/hooking electrically and top operation is seamless.
The fabric tops on luxury cabriolets appear from the outside to be standard convertible tops, but from inside the car the heavy padding and soundproofing are apparent.
Source: http://search.msn.com
Posted by Stephan Wilkinson
The simplest tops are little more than a layer of canvas stretched over a steel framework. These must be manually unhooked from the windshield bow and physically folded down into a recess at the rear of the car. Some ragtops, such as the one on the Mazda MX-5, are so simple and light that their lack of power activation is almost irrelevant.
When these tops are folded, they can be hidden under a plastic tonneau cover that clips in place. But the cover is optional; you can drive such roadsters without it if you don’t mind the slightly messy look.
The next level is the cloth top, with a modicum of soundproofing, and the capability to go up and down at the push of a button. Purists argue that tops such as the Porsche Boxster’s or Chevrolet Corvette’s are semi-automatic, because they require the driver to physically unhook a latch that secures the top to the windshield bow. Fully automatic tops, such as those on the Audi TT and BMW Z4, do the unhooking/hooking electrically and top operation is seamless.
The fabric tops on luxury cabriolets appear from the outside to be standard convertible tops, but from inside the car the heavy padding and soundproofing are apparent. There’s often a color-coordinated final layer that makes the top appear from inside the car to be the roof of a conventional coupe (the Mercedes CLK cabrio is an example). Such tops are invariably automatic, but a few have the disadvantage of being bulky enough that they can’t be retracted entirely out of sight and instead perch atop the trunk.
The simplest tops are little more than a layer of canvas stretched over a steel framework. These must be manually unhooked from the windshield bow and physically folded down into a recess at the rear of the car. Some ragtops, such as the one on the Mazda MX-5, are so simple and light that their lack of power activation is almost irrelevant.
When these tops are folded, they can be hidden under a plastic tonneau cover that clips in place. But the cover is optional; you can drive such roadsters without it if you don’t mind the slightly messy look.
The next level is the cloth top, with a modicum of soundproofing, and the capability to go up and down at the push of a button. Purists argue that tops such as the Porsche Boxster’s or Chevrolet Corvette’s are semi-automatic, because they require the driver to physically unhook a latch that secures the top to the windshield bow. Fully automatic tops, such as those on the Audi TT and BMW Z4, do the unhooking/hooking electrically and top operation is seamless.
The fabric tops on luxury cabriolets appear from the outside to be standard convertible tops, but from inside the car the heavy padding and soundproofing are apparent.
Source: http://search.msn.com
Posted by Stephan Wilkinson
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