Larry Weinstein

Anyone out there have any information of an aluminum (or fiberglass) hardtop for a cabriolet? I saw an aluminum one two weeks ago on a factory slantnose racecar a few weeks ago at Watkins Glen. He claimed it was a factory part. I do know Strosak makes a top but it's pretty ugly and expen$ive.

Rob McConnell

Hi Larry

Posted a similar topic myself not long ago but may have been wiped in the disc crash, anyway Ed Skelly another rennlister sent me the following.

i just saw this in an old Porsche christophrus magazine from December 1991 and i remembered you question on Rennlist 964 board. This is a picture of the hardtop from the factory. I have a 92 cab, and
this is the first i have seen or heard of a hardtopthat was available. ( i tried to post a reply on the board...but i can't remember teh name and password i registered. Maybe you can post this picture as a reply)

Ed

- hardtop.JPG

Adrian

Dear Larry,
The answer to your question is that Porsche never manufactured a Hard Top for the Cabriolet for sale or as an option. Strosek make one which is butt ugly and I have seen one at this site http://www.albert1st.com/home_deutsch.htm
The only factory hard top which was (no longer) in the parts catalogue was for the Speedster. These are also very rare,
I am sure "Spezial Werks" would or could have knocked something up.
Ciao,
Adrian
911C4

Rob/RSA

Porsche Did make a hardtop, for the 911. I bought one about two years ago from a dealer sale, with all Porsche doc. and part #s. I was very nice with headliner and rear defroster. I paid $2000 the orig price was $9000. Nobody wanted to pay that high price, and then spend 3-4 hours installing it, You had to remove the folding top first! I tried to sell it in Excellence, no takers
And finally sold it with the car. Its a cool option to show off to your Porsche buddies, but its far from the Boxter/996 top, for ease of use.

GeoC2cab

High,,
I second Rob, Porsche did make a hardtop for a earlier cabriolet, on page 164 of "Porsche 911 Forever young" by Tobias Aichele there is a picture of one being fitted to a car. On pages 162-163 it reads,"On the other hand, the cabriolet could be brought up to the standard of an all season vehicle by the installation of a paticularly attractive hardtop. Porsche's engineers were able to install the rear quarter windows and the backlight of the coupe in a galvanized roof. A cabriolet fitted with the hardtop was almost indistinguishable from a 911 coupe, even at short range. The stiff price of 6585 marks(unpainted)was attributable to the limited, hand made nature of the hard top. It was advisable to order the hardtop along with the car, so that it could be preciesly fitted to the body. Thereafter, winter driving, the hardtop could be attached by two people. At the windshield frame and the B-pillars, the hardtop uses the same attachment points as the fabric top.
At the rear , six bolts and pre-existing fittings attach the the top to the bodywork."
This does not mean that this option was available for 90-94 Carrera 2/4's although it very well might have been.

Adrian

Guys,
I need to clarify something here. Larry asked this question on the 964 board. My answer was for the 964 that Larry owns. You are quite correct, Porsche did make a hard top once for the earlier 911 Cabs. Not the 964 series. I have the 964 options and TEquipment catalogues and it is not shown. If the question had been asked on the 911 board the answer would have been different,
Ciao,
Adrian
911C4

GeoC2cab

High,
No prob., it's all good.