alternative carbon fiber hardtops

[doug]

It came up that a hardtop designed for the Elise should work on the Roadster as well.

The soft tops are already identical, and a "short" Elise hardtop would sit the same way... extending only to the front of the roll bar. The Roadster hardtops extend over the carbon fiber (CF) roll bar so that so that the body color doesn't get broken up with a dark band in the middle. But that wouldn't be an issue with a CF top that should blend in with the Roadster roll bar.

I suppose there could be an issue with the pitch of the CF weave not quite matching. Also the Elise hardtops have this styling/aero notch that Roadster owners might not like. Still, it would be interesting to see someone try it.

Here are a few aftermarket Elise CF hardtops I found with a quick web search:

Elise Parts - *>**>*S2 Elise "Short" Hardtop

Elise CF Hard Top - Sector111 aftermarket parts for Lotus

RevoZport Racing Technology Ltd. Near the bottom of this page.

 

[ChadS]

I had the same thought, and contacted Sector111. But they said that their Elise hardtops definitely do not fit the Tesla. (They do have wheels that fit, and a replacement rear view mirror).

The soft top does fit, as James noted in another thread.

 

[Vger]

I like the idea of a "low" CF hardtop a lot! With all due respect to those that have them, I think that current Tesla hardtop does NOT flatter the lines of the car. I wonder it enough of us got together and committed to a purchase, if a custom outfit would be willing to engineer and build a run of (say) a dozen or so of these, fully designed to fit the Tesla, in the soft top position.

 

[doug]

I had the same thought, and contacted Sector111. But they said that their Elise hardtops definitely do not fit the Tesla.

Did they say what about the hardtops doesn't fit? You'd think size wise they would. Maybe it's the latching hardware.

 

[Palpatine]

I wonder it enough of us got together and committed to a purchase, if a custom outfit would be willing to engineer and build a run of (say) a dozen or so of these, fully designed to fit the Tesla, in the soft top position.

I would be happy to run it through my company and list it under the Tesla Roadster aftermarket accessories.

Post a response here if you are interested in an aftermarket carbon firber hardtop that fits in the softtop position, without covering the rollbar. If we get 10+ responses, I will look into it and try to get prices. I would likely order an extra 10+ to keep in stock for other Roadster owners that find this later.

 

[vfx]

I was wonderig what would be faster in the 1/4 mile. A heavier smoother hardtop of a lighter rougher softtop.

...and a replacement rear view mirror).

I want a smaller rear view mirror. In right hand uphill turns the stock mirror blocks far too much vista. Very disconcerting.

 

[Tdave]

I'm interested, but probably only if I'm able to cancel my CF hardtop I have on order.

 

[ChadS]

Post a response here if you are interested in an aftermarket carbon firber hardtop that fits in the softtop position, without covering the rollbar.

I am interested. Actually less in a top that doesn't cover the rollbar, and more in a top (hard or soft!) that can be removed really easily--although it seems that one fitting in the soft top position may be more likely to fill the bill. It doesn't have to be carbon fiber, either.

 

[ChadS]

I want a smaller rear view mirror. In right hand uphill turns the stock mirror blocks far too much vista. Very disconcerting.

Here's a link to the smaller mirror:
microMIRRORâ„¢ Rear View Mirror for the Lotus Elise and Exige - Sector111

 

[ra-san]

I'm interested in the CF hardtop that is the size of the soft top rather than covering the CF rollbar, so long as it matches the existing CF (as in goes with, not necessarily is exactly the same)

 

[mpt]

I am interested. Actually less in a top that doesn't cover the rollbar, and more in a top (hard or soft!) that can be removed really easily--although it seems that one fitting in the soft top position may be more likely to fill the bill. It doesn't have to be carbon fiber, either.

I echo that; I'd prefer the visual style of a 'same as softtop' profile and removable.

I'd also like to add; it sould be as quite as practical too. The extra height in the TM version; is that sound proofing?

Has anyone asked TM if they have anything in the works?

 

[Vger]

Thanks for offering, James. Count me in, but with a proviso. I note that the Sector111 product is marked "Off Road Use Only". Presumably this is a safety homologation issue. I would not want that restriction. My desire would be to have it to use all winter long, not just on track. Perhaps this is another reason the stock hardtop is bulkier and sits in the higher position. Perhaps that design was required for safety (like the CF shattering in a roll-over, I watch Formula 1!). We would need this issue clarified.

 

[vfx]

Here's a link to the smaller mirror:
microMIRRORâ„¢ Rear View Mirror for the Lotus Elise and Exige - Sector111

Thanks Chad, I was looking at a small racing rectangle mirror but I notice this one has a nice testimonial from Martin Eberhard.

Testimonial:

The short answer is that the Sector 111 MicroMirror is a total success - greatly improved forward visibility, no significant degradation of rear visibility. I thought I would miss the day/night feature, but I don't at all. I recommend this as an upgrade to every single Tesla (and every single Elise for that matter).
-Martin Eberhard, Founder and former CEO of Tesla Motors

 

[samcarney]

I'm interested in the CF hardtop that is the size of the soft top rather than covering the CF rollbar, so long as it matches the existing CF (as in goes with, not necessarily is exactly the same)

James I would also be interested in an aftermarket CF hardtop.

 

[Tdave]

One problem I see with not covering the current CF rollbar is trying to match the look, color, and texture of the two CF pieces, especially with them being right next to each other.

 

[doug]

Sector111 has found their top fits, but as I suspected, the weave doesn't match:

Sector111's Tasty Innovations Blog: Tesla Evaluation @ Sector111

Our Carbon Fiber Hardtop actually fits. The weave on the top is quite different from the roll bar cover that is on the car. This is an aesthetic consideration that can be addressed with new CF fabric. We built our top to be a lighter version of the stock Elise top with a focus on use with track oriented cars.

 

[mpt]

I'd be happy to take a CF or fibreglass version if I can paint it to match the car; it's silver and I think would look better painted plus, better at reflecting heat.

I'd be happy with un-finished interior; I'll line it myself.

I've reached out to them to see what they can do; perhaps they can retail through James?

 

[Palpatine]

I've reached out to them to see what they can do; perhaps they can retail through James?

That is exactly what we are doing. I am building a complete Tesla Roadster aftermarket section. We have the Roadster Foundry MC, Steve Casner's front license plate kit, the Sector 111 Lotus upgrades that fit the Tesla and a few other items.

 

[vfx]

I really liked the way the CF top fits in place of the soft top. It's too bad it the car was not designed to fit this hardtop behind the seats or under the hood or boot. It's manage-ably small, super lightweight and I like it better than the stock hardtop look. The style indentation done down the middle is a bit unmotivated but still works for me. You just cant thinlk about it too much.

Mounting requires tools and some time but that's not too uncommon either. We did not check for water tightness but the windows seemed to work normally.

Sector 111 plans to have their supplier use the bigger weave to match the Tesla look but the angles may never line up.
Are the rollbars the same from one car to the next?

There is also a join point at the rear where the window/top/rollabar meet that lines up just perfect but it's angle does not match since the Elise bodywork is different. It's such an small anomaly that it was hard to photograph.

Hopefully I will have the CF top on my car for the upcoming SoCal Greenspeed Drag races coming up so LA locals can see it.

I wish we had taken the car outside for some beauty pics!

 

[kgb]

bummer