Folding hard top picture (rendering)

At least the rag-top version still looks like a real car.

You mean like this?

As Kelly Bundy would say, the mind wobbles...

Ack! I knew I shouldn't launch my newsreader so soon after eating.

I need therapy now.

you guys are killing me ;-) Well, what do you think of the 'spyder' version of the miata? I love it personally. Doubt there's a chance in _ _ _ _ they'll do it but I like it.

Chris

not bad looking, but that side view looks an awful lot like the new audi tt coupe that will be in the los angles auto show in november... look at the last pic on this link...

Mazda didn't "adopt" any look; that's simply the styling required to stow the roof when it's folded.

Sure, and my old man still thinks all new cars should look and drive like every car he owned in the '60s.

The times, they are a-changin'. I don't have any problem with the hardtop Miata styling in the least bit, especially knowing why it looks like that.

I already have one Miata that I'm tired of playing "vinyl top games" with. As it is, I leave the top down these days and don't even drive the car unless I won't have to mess with the top. I suspect this is the same reason I have yet to see a Pontiac Solstice with its top down.

A retractable hardtop version would be much more user-friendly.

I still haven't seen anything that comes close to looking as good as the yellow M1 coupe concept. They should have built that sucker.

Oh ya! I can hardly tell the difference! Whatever! I swear, no matter what you show some people they feel like they are obligated to say oh well, that looks just like _ _ _ _ _. Come on man, it might have some resemblances to some other cars but it's quite a stretch to see that one.

Chris

I have that pinned to the wall right in front of me from when it showed up on my Car and Driver calendar Oct 5 1998! I was impressed also but I think this is even better looking.

Chris

clearly it is not the same car, the audi is much bigger and in competition with the big boys. but the flared fenders and the chiseled lines are the new boring look of all new cars coming out today... every car on the market used to look like the ford tuarus, like it was squeezed out of a eye dropper... not the new boring are these angular things trying to achieve an aggressive angry like a stealth bomber. in my opinion they usually end up missing the mark and just look like insects. look how bmw and volkswagon (and soon to follow audi) ruined their well designed cars with the recent new designs... ugh.

Can't get more user friendly the the current MX-5 top. The folding hardtop is cool, however. Weight could be an issue. Putting a Solstice top down is a major operation, plus you lose the trunk. I wonder how many people will realize how utterly unpractical the car is once they want to take an overnight trip to the beach with the top down?

Well, there's the security issue, the spyder being a much more secure vehicle. My son doesn't feel he can seriously consider the miata because he works retail and his car has to sit in a mall parking lot all the time. He's mentioned an older SLK might work cause it closes up secure. Obviously, he could install a hard top but constantly taking it on and off would be a night mare. I see the hard top as a good option for extended periods (harsh winter months) or special occasions, for whatever reason.

Obviously there are plusses and minuses and everyone has a different take on those. The weight issue is obviously one and complexity is another on the negative side.

Chris

Strangely enough, I used to install and remove my hardtop on a frequent basis. It really wasn't that big of a deal--I kept it in the front of the garage in the space left ahead of the car (because it's so short) and simply backed in when I knew I was going to mess with the top.

In fact, by all rights, one could argue that it's a simpler and easier process to take the hardtop on and off than it is to raise or lower the softtop on my stock '95 M-edition. I do have a window protector, so that slows me down a little. If you've got a second person handy, the hardtop is a joke to put on and take off--10 seconds or so.

I appreciate your point, I didn't realize it was that easy, cool. However, the second person thing is huge ;-)

Chris