For those with convertibles

Brad....

I don't own a cabriolet at present, but having had a few previously I hope you don't mind if I answer your questions.

I dropped the top whenever I could get away with it, and turned on the heated seats if necessary (I had 911's).....and I drove with the top up year round in inclement weather as it was a daily driver. The sun being out and the sky being clear were my two prerequisites.

I find that after about an hour or so, I start to get annoyed by the wind and sun though.........so I limited my top down driving accordingly..........and never liked to do so on the highway......just in the city.

 

i've recently owned a 996 C2 Cabriolet and a 355 Spider.

i'm not sure i'd buy another convertible whose top wasn't fully automatic.

with the 996 i would tend to drive it anytime and all the time. if the weather was nice, the top went down. one button action. at worse, one button and then i had to manually reach back and flip up the windscreen (if i cared that day). it was great.

with the 355, the damn tonneau cover pretty much meant the show was all-manual. so i tended to not drive it unless i was sure i'd not have to touch the top AT ALL. so if i took it to work the forecast would pretty much have to be for stellar weather 06:00-20:00. though once the top WAS up for whatever reason, i'd drive it in less-than-perfect conditions. though on the 355, visibility around that top is hardly optimal - so that was a liability.

my two copper pieces.

doody.

 

I drive year round...top generally will be dropped at anything above 40 degrees - this is mostly to protect the roof fabric. The car has a heater and I made a windblocker so I never feel the chill. Northwest weather is finicky so I do have to check for rain or the immenent threat of rain in which case I leave it up. Not sure about the speed thing...part of having the car is the roar of the wind so I have never based my speed on the roof status.

- JMG

 

ther is no substitute for top dwon driving in a ferrari with the roar of the engine behind you, esp with a tubi!!!! the 360 spider has great air flow magament, better than my 355spider, 911 cab and c5 cab...so eveen at 80-90 mmph, the wind is not intrusive,,,with the tope up , the feels as solid and quiet as the coupe!!!!! no down side except the cost!!!! but is worth every penny!!!!

 

I have a 355 Spider and drive with the top down 99% of the time. Mostly because I love convertibles but also because my top sucks and is a huge pain in the ass to operate. I got caught in the rain yesterday and although the top went up okay it wouldn't latch properly so I had to drive home with it unlatched. Luckily I was only five minutes away. I have had this problem dealt with a few times but its never really been resolved. It's going in again to try one more time!

 

so ... this discussion brings up something I have wondered about for a while:

- what is the downside to a targa top ?
- why aren't they more popular ?
- why does the 360 (and the murcielago) not have them, while the 355 and Diablo did ?

I have never owned a targa top _or_ a cabriolet, but it seems to me that the targa top (like on the 355 or diablo) would be the perfect compromise - in fact, I can't understand why anyone bought 355 berlinettas when they could get a targa model. Why did anyone buy berlinettas ?

Is there some disadvantage to them I don't understand ? Are they so much harder/expensive to produce ? Is the body less stiff like it is with cabriolets, or is it just about the same as a coupe ?

 

One touch activation on Maserati top. Is amazing to watch all the different things in motion. I was worried about having no latch as I liked the snapping down to make me feel top was secure but the top locks very secure, at 100+ MPH I have no wind noise. Also with top down this car has the most finnished look I have seen on a convertible

 

i thought it looked more norwegian, but maybe that's just me.

doody.

 

It is just that...a compromise. Structural integrity is not as high as the coupe...visceral thrill is not as high as the convertible. I used to own an RX7 Convertible and it had the ability to run as a full convertible or pull the top and just run as a targa. Kinda like having a sunroof that was a pain in the ass to use.

I love convertibles...my father always told me never to sell them once I had kids...they are too damn hard to justify once you see how nice life is without one!

 

Personally, a convertible top on my sports car is a must. I generally drive it when its nice out and since I don't race, body flex is not an issue. I feel that if I want to drive something cool whenever, I can drive my sedan. Driving a sports car to me is about an open air wind in the hair experience. I agree with Doody though, a one button auto top with auto boot is the way to go. I sometimes find myself not driving the ferrari because the weather is so-so and I don't want to get caught having to mess around with the boot and sorry top.

 

Targa for me. '78 GTS. Kind of the best of both worlds. Easy to take off and put on, goes behind the seats. If it gets cold I put the side windows up and turn the heat on. The wind isn't much with the side windows up, even at 100 MPH.

 

Had both 355 and 360 spiders, 355 was semi automatic but pretty quick to be honest, and I never bothered to use the tonneau cover. I personally dont think it needs it either. That car was absolutely perfect, minimal buffeting, and was nice and warm even in the winter. Leaked a few times though.

360 spider, fully auto top, and very strong, no leaks whatsoever. Also you couldnt hear the outside as much, which isnt a good thing in my book as I used to enjoy the tubid 355 howl even in the rain. However, buffeting in the 360 is fecking awful and although the diffuser does a reasonable job, its still pretty bad. You're left with an ear ache more often than not. Also, the thing is absolutely huge inside, and you are so far away from the engine that it doesnt warm you like the 355 did in the winter. Flip side is, of course, in the heat of the summer, neither does it cook you like the 355.

I preferred my 355 spider and put the roof down more often than the 360, simply because of the buffeting thing, but that said the roof action looks so cool and is very useful for impressing (or pissing off) people...

Always put the roof down where possible

 

fwiw, my 355 top never leaked. rock solid. i remember the first time it got the crap beat out of it with rain. i was at the office and some of the crew were outside having cigs. i came down to check on her - she'd never seen that sort of downpour before - and the guys were all watching me - eager to hear the report when i came back in. and rather disappointed the roof was holding

doody.

 

I have a 355 Spider, and came out of a 911 Cabriolet, and I am stuck on ragtops. Before buying the 355, I thought hard about a '97 Lotus Esprit, but after driving it and my neighbors Diablo, I was convinced I wanted the open feel, and not have to drive looking out of slits to the side and back. I am so happy with the Spider, and I keep the top down 90% of the time with the tonneau on. The electric top works okay, but in a downpour might take as long as a minute to get the tonneau off and get closed up.
My only concern is putting a permanent line on my rear window, and have considered putting a towel in the folds as I close it. Don't know if that would help or not.
Having given up motorcycles for now after being run into by a Doberman at 30mph, the spider is the closest thing I can get to the motorcycle experience in a car.

 

I've had both the 308 GTSi and Mondial Cab. Definitely preferred the 308's targa top due to ease of use. The Cab takes too long to take down so I tend to drive it only during the daytime. If I know I'm going somewhere where I won't be returning home till evening I leave the Cab at home (except in the summer, where SoCal evenings are perfect for top down driving).

 

the new cabs, including 911, m3, 360 , maser all have one touch power tops that only take 15- 20 seconds forn in side the car..super easy and fast with greatlined tops!!my old 911 cab top was a pain with the teneau to snap in and out and my c5 cab wasfully manual and a pain

 

For me its either top down or removable hardtop on for the winter (don't have an F-car though). My only gripe about the ragtop is the rear plastic window, visibility through that thing is horrible. Most new cars today are using glass windows w/ a defrost on their ragtops.

Some cars look better than others w/ a chopped roof. I prefer both & really don't have a preference. If your getting a Ferrari you can't go wrong either way. Good luck.

 

It's amazing what driving top-down does for your spirit. Sort of like wind under your wings. Don't make me recite "High Flight" as I did recently at my father's funeral (WW2 pilot/TWA for 30 years):

"Oh! I have slipped the surly bonds of Earth
And danced the skies on laughter-silvered wings;
Sunward I've climbed, and joined the tumbling mirth
Of sun-split clouds, — and done a hundred things
You have not dreamed of — wheeled and soared and swung
High in the sunlit silence. Hov'ring there,
I've chased the shouting wind along, and flung
My eager craft through footless halls of air. . . .

Up, up the long, delirious burning blue
I've topped the wind-swept heights with easy grace
Where never lark, or ever eagle flew —
And, while with silent, lifting mind I've trod
The high untresspassed sanctity of space,
Put out my hand, and touched the face of God."

Well, top down on the curvies is as close as I have gotten.

 

I only like taking out my 360 Spider if the weather is good enough to be driven with the top down. Personally, I just enjoy the ride/drive better with the top & windows down. Compared to other convertibles I've had, my convertible Ferraris seem to have much less wind when driving, including on freeways.

 

I live in so cal. Today was so hot I had to drive with the top up AND the air on.

Bob

 

People who have commented on 355 Spider. Do you keep you hood down permanently? i.e. for days at a time? From what some people have written it seems you do... is this not bad for the fabric? Mine has a wear-mark above the drivers head (to the side), where it rubs when the top is down.

 

With my 355 GTS I take the roof out as often as possible the only real problem being the storage I am just a little to big to fit in comfortably.With my Volvo(see profile)again the roof comes down whenever practical but this is somewhat limited by my Children moaning about it,Ah the joys of Fatherhood!!
Dave Mc

 

I've had a few 'verts - 1st was intentional, 2nd and 3rd sellers were moving, so pricing was "eager." The beauty of 'verts for me is the fact that when I was a kid, whether riding a bike or shotgunning around town with Pop or my Brother in their pickups, my hearing aid on right ear would pick up and amplify wind noise. (Air on a Microphone) *whoossshhhroarsshhh* Ridiculous. With these puppies, an airy ride around town with windshield blocking wind noise = liberation.

 

i had my car for about 18 months. one winter storage aside (2-3 months with top up), the top was up maybe a few weeks in total. i didn't "exercise" it. i didn't put it up every day or anything like that. i'm sure it stayed down for months on end. never had a problem with it. any good plastic polish always brought the window back to damn-near-new-if-not-new. never had any marks in the canvas.

doody.