i need to increase head room by about 25mm and it might be possible to cut and add a new section something like a small raised dome. do not want to try on existing roof as it may not work out. so am in market for a second hand roof which i can try out. or has anyone solved this problem another way? any ideas thank you
Check this: http://www.maranelloauto.com/ I know that MA Carbon produces a carbon fiber targa roof that gives to the GTS the same shape of the GTB, with more head room. Instead of this you can lower the seat (like Tom Selleck did in his 308 during Magnum PI serie) Take care Vittorio
I don't know if this would work, but another possibility might be to remove the headliner and have a thinner liner installed. Any good interior shop could do that easily. Also, a friend of mine in Montreal just started a fiberglass/carbon fiber business and he could likely fabricate a new roof with a slight modification. However, I don't think that he has a roof in stock to work from, so I believe he'd need a model to make a mold from. His email address is <[email protected]>.
thank you for your suggestions and ideas. i have checked about lowering the seat in conjunction with a ferrari workshop and the only answer we could come up with about the seat was to remove some of the seat thickness because the seat is about as low as it can go. i have access to all things mechanical, fibreglass and ability to make dome shapes which is why i needed to start with a second roof in case i make a mess of it. will contact maranello.com to check that out. again my thanks tony
Hi, I've already responded to SCOPE privatly but figured I'd post the reponse here. We in fact do import and sell the Garapan 308/328 targa top. Main benefits are: weight (10lbs vs 16), headroom (an extra inch, 2.5CM), and last but not least, looks. Main disadvantage is a little bit more wind noise from it being slightly higher. You also have to be a little bit more careful since it has a clear coat finish. The roof looks really good when installed with the matching carbon rear wing. With the purchase of both, we discount the price to $2550. John Borchelt Maranello Auto 650.520.4822 www.maranelloauto.com
thank you for your suggestions. i have ordered both the roof and spoiler from maranello sales. the products are made in japan and i am looking forward to receiving. not sure yet whether i will fit the spoiler,or just wait and see what the carbon fibre roof looks like. certainly will appreciate the additional 25mm of clearance. so again my thanks. all the best tony
I purchased my 328 and It came with a smoke plexi top in addition to the regular top. No one I've asked has ever seen one before, so it must have custom made by the former owner. I have never used it but it does fit and does give a little more headroom. Although not enough to drive with a helmit. It you wanyt it make me a reasonable offer. (561) 441-1778 So. FLA.
I think the company was called Saratoga or something. They show up on e-bay every once and a while....not cheap.
The post in this string below from Ivan referenced a plexi top. It was not a custom made top. I did purchase it from Ivan in Jan 2006 and found it to be a Saratoga top in very nice shape. It actually fits well and doesn't squeek. So there are Saratogas still floating around out there.
they were made in Saratoga, NEW YORK, not Florida...at the height of the "T" top craze...Corvettes and Firebirds were big...It is light and fits well but for the 3X8 series there were not many..After so much interest in mine I tried a investigative search to find out what happened to the business, the molds etc. It was a very small business and as far as I could find out is really long, long gone. I do think there was another company that made these and competed with Saratoga for a short while albeit with and inferior product, don't remember the name off-hand.
It's too bad that they're gone. I've seen one & it was indeed quite well made. They'd be great in NE for the colder months on each side of salt season. Should have grapped that one I saw on eBAY back in '01, but I'd just got my car & hadn't seen one yet. Think it went for around $450!
I like it 'cause it give me more head room. is lighter and is kinda see through. BUT.... if it is a nice day...you have the top off...if it is raining or cold...you have the top on and then the stock top is just fine. The few tops that do come up on EBAY are overpriced n my opinion for what they actually do for the car..but like everything 308 related, I just love preserving and even resurecting them, even aftermarket assecories since it does capture a point in time....
I did speak with the manager/ firm that made the Ferrari Saratoga tops. They discarded the jigs during a move. They were more interested in Corvette top business. Checked with the US Patent office, found no record of a patent or cad drawings on their site. The top is more complex than you might think to build. I took mine partly apart to see how it was designed. The real trick to making new ones would be the process of molding the plexiglass (or more modern materials) to the exact shape. Usually plexiglass pellets and additives are melted and then molded, then cooled at precise temps for certain time periods. That effects the product strength and flexibility. Most job shops want runs of 100 items to go over the break even point. Plus I am wondering if the DOT would have to approve the manufacture and retail sale of them. They are an interesting accessory.
That confirms my info. I agree that they are a complicated item since they do fit so well and the curves in the plexi top are no simple. I was also inmpressed with the hardware to conect to the top...pretty good for back then...I looked into perspex and even polycarbonate since I really like mine and other did too but you are right...it just made no economical sense..even if you were not interested in profit, esp. since I think the stock targa panel is just fine.
What I'd like to see is a collapsible top made of canvas and aluminum or something similar. I'm 6'2'' and with the standard top stored behind the seats I'm pretty much forced to sit so I can't see the upper range of the tach. I'd rather have the seatback raked a little more. Here in the tropics I enjoy driving with the top off most of the time, but you can never tell when the tradewinds will bring a shower--so it's unwise to leave the top in the garage. Would be nice to have a folding top in the trunk in case of rain.
I know the Din 246 and the 348 had a foldable top like that but they are evenmore elusiv than the saratoga and they are probably tough to engineer I would think...
