Sharing a unique hardtop speedster I found

Like the flat paint, love the hardtop they make it look so unique. Not a fan of the corduoroy seats. Interesting internal leather boot straps .... $65K US

The flat paint does give it a meaner look to it. I hope they didn't screw that front plate onto the front since it's crooked. A lot of neat things to like about it. I DO NOT like the wing nuts on the door tops. That would shred you pretty badly in an accident. The naked dash is different; I like it.

The big washers on the door tops were weird too.

I like the hardtop shape, a lot, and the semi-flat body color is really pretty cool.

The two money shots, however, tell me everything I need to know here.

^ Panel gaps - they're a thing. A half inch on the leading edge of the door, a credit-card thick gap at the back.

I'm not ever sure where to start here - but tidy wiring was clearly not this guy's strong suit. There's a wire-nut in there somewhere, I just know it.

It also might have been nice to find some insulating material that didn't come from a pole-barn, but what do I know? I might have kept the foil backed tape off the edge of the body to the left of the latch, regardless.

The deck-lid hinges are... something. Painting them would have been a nice touch.

@Stan Galat posted:

Panel gaps - they're a thing. A half inch on the leading edge of the door, a credit-card thick gap at the back.

The deck-lid hinges are... something. Painting them would have been a nice touch.

Are those even hinges? They look like spring steel.

Not to pile on, but a couple of coats of paint on the steering column might have been a good idea.

I like the top.

All valid.  I do really like the lines of the hardtop, and I know the matte paint's trendy but it does look good here....

Yeah, the top is a nice touch and it changes the look to give it a more aggressive stance.  Is it just me or is the price kinda high for the condition of the car?

@Mark Jensen posted:

All valid.  I do really like the lines of the hardtop, and I know the matte paint's trendy but it does look good here....

Agree 100%, Mark.

@Panhandle Bob posted:

I like the top.

@Mark Jensen posted:

I do really like the lines of the hardtop

@pkdfw posted:

Yeah, the top is a nice touch and it changes the look to give it a more aggressive stance.

I keep looking at that top. The lines are perfect, and the back window is large enough to matter. I wonder who did it?

@Stan Galat posted:

I keep looking at that top. The lines are perfect, and the back window is large enough to matter. I wonder who did it?

Agreed. Do you think that could be a 1958 or later Beetle rear window?

@Stan Galat posted:

I keep looking at that top. The lines are perfect, and the back window is large enough to matter. I wonder who did it?

Hmm... maybe I should show this to Greg at VMC and see if he can reproduce it.  As I have my speedster super wide body on order, it may be a cool add on.

Hard tops are difficult to fit as there are differences in the windshield placement and angle. Greg and Carey could, make them as I assume their Speedsters are assembled using use templates hence all the same windshield position. CMC / FF would be a crap shoot as I did a hard top fitting for David B.  about 8 years ago and that one took a ridiculous number of hours adding 2.5" to get the length correct. Then even it out fit all the latches, back acrylic window, rubber trim & headliner. It's not as easy as perceived to be.

I don't think anybody who's ever built anything thinks it's easy, Al (aside from the guys who are always going to ask, "well, how hard can it be?" when they have zero clue just how hard it could be), but it's a great look - to my eye, far, far better than a coupe.

Anyhow, as @LI-Rick suggested, I think that's a Beetle rear window. If anybody remembers Ollie (from England)'s handmade hardtop, this one looks similar. It's different, in that it has more of a bubble above the windshield (which would make it much more usable), but the same basic idea.

The top is gorgeous. The rest of the car is a hot mess, but the top really works. I wonder if any of the European builders are offering this on their builds.

Complete aside - has anybody really looked at what Gary from Speedster Clinic in England is doing? There's some really neat stuff there. I'd like to see one of his cars in person.

Adding a hard top to my car is something I think about from time to time.  If I knew it would look like this one, well I’d think about it a lot more often.

But, does the liner look like this?  

Credit to @MangoSmoothie.ca

Greg is building a Super Widebody Subie with hard top for @Chappy

That's the holiest of Grails for me.

I wonder if the seller would be willing to have someone make a mold from that top.  Honestly its got the best lines of any I've seen, and as already pointed out it likely has great visibility out the back.

My first thought looking at it was that it was a modeled after 996 hardtop, but cut down for a more aggressive look

I like the top.

Definitely a bit of a hack job on the entire build.

The large washers on the door are for side curtains/windows that aren't shown.

What is that shelf behind the seats? That looks homemade.

That price is sickly high.

I sent an email inquiry to the seller seeking any info on the hard top . I do have two very good fiberglass places that could do these tops.

If there's a way to help, I'm all in.  I'm still hunting for a speedster (think I found a very nice Vintage Speedster, just need to sort out pricing), but a hardtop would be great to extend driving seasons.

This car is in Europe (the Netherlands, specifically), gentlemen.

Unless you're going to buy it and ship it over here to get a hardtop mold, it's going to remain unobtainium.

@Alan Merklin posted:

Hard tops are difficult to fit as there are differences in the windshield placement and angle. Greg and Carey could, make them as I assume their Speedsters are assembled using use templates hence all the same windshield position. CMC / FF would be a crap shoot as I did a hard top fitting for David B.  about 8 years ago and that one took a ridiculous number of hours adding 2.5" to get the length correct. Then even it out fit all the latches, back acrylic window, rubber trim & headliner. It's not as easy as perceived to be.

Hi Alan.....I have Dave B.'s car now and the top fits really well accept I'm having problems keeping the plexiglass rear window contained in seal that is around it, any suggestions? It's like it was cut too small?......

Larry - I wonder if air pressure is building up inside the car as you speed along pushing on the plexiglass?  Maybe some kind of vent either side - Lane had some clear one from an airplane.

Shipping from Europe would be big bucks!  When I first looked at it - the first thought that came to mind were the short side windows and low top.  It needs some Abarth bubbles on the top to avoid head contact.

Guy near me picked up this one from Alan years ago - drove up from FL to get my son's wrecked Subaru in NW VA.  Here' the DR trying to fit it to Wild Bill's Speedster - 23 years ago!

Here it is sitting on my garage queen Speedster.  It actually fit quite well.  I know he worked on it some - to add a rain drip edge above doors - but haven't heard from him for a while. This is one that Alan worked to fit to a car - rather than extend the top a couple inches - the rear glass part was cut to compensate for shortness.  It looks like it would have fit put back together on my car.

For visibility, I like the OEM ones for the Cabriolet.  Lots of glass.

Hi....could be, but I think the heat down here (NC) may have something to do with it. I just need to find a way to keep it in place instead of sliding around in the sealed in area.....

@Alan Merklin posted:

I sent an email inquiry to the seller seeking any info on the hard top . I do have two very good fiberglass places that could do these tops.

While you’re at it, ask for a video of someone possessing normal U.S. male proportions getting in and out of that thing.  Me thinks it could be tricky.

@Larry Scislowicz posted:

Hi Alan.....I have Dave B.'s car now and the top fits really well accept I'm having problems keeping the plexiglass rear window contained in seal that is around it, any suggestions? It's like it was cut too small?......

Larry, I had a mobile glass guy do the rear window install. .  Maybe a bit of GM black glass adhesive will keep it in place but be aware do not get that black adhesive stuff on anything or your hands, nothing take sit off and has has to wear off.

NAPA sells some weatherstrip adhesive remover that softens the black 3M adhesive.  That adhesive is extraordinarily sticky so you’ll need a few passes (or dynamite) to fully remove it, but it can be done.   Just don’t get any onyah, as Alan says.

https://www.facebook.com/photo...67976332.-2207520000.

Dutch company.

https://www.facebook.com/peopl...067976332/?sk=photos

translated from Dutch to English. So they are being made and shipped after purchase it seems.

“Wet from the rain, but almost ready to ship to Italy.”

@Gordon Nichols posted:

NAPA sells some weatherstrip adhesive remover that softens the black 3M adhesive.  That adhesive is extraordinarily sticky so you’ll need a few passes (or dynamite) to fully remove it, but it can be done.   Just don’t get any onyah, as Alan says.

Gordon-Alan Thanks for the tips on the 3M products, I'll need to check them out .....

I too sent the auction seller an email asking about the hardtop.  They responded simply saying it was done by the previous owner during a “body off restoration “.

LeadPedal found the company responsible for providing the hardtop.

http://www.356-speedster.nl/index.html

Note that website is not secure.

From their website, here is the Google translation of the hardtop option:

Hardtop Speedster on Demand

• Polycarbonate rear window

• Locking material

• Must be sprayed

So perhaps not a window from a Beetle.

I think the following photo is the owner of the subject speedster taken 5 years ago before 356-speedster.no sent the body and hardtop to paint.  Their Facebook page said the customer wanted to see if he fit with the hardtop on.  Looks like he has plenty of room (but he may be 5’5”).  

Here are a few photos from another speedster with the same hardtop.  Clearly this represents a lot of work and is likely pricey even for someone living local.

Their window…also outlaw

These must be the engine lid hinges:

@Jon T, I can't see the images.  I get "image not found".

While some don't, I like the Plasticon hard top that is higher over the driver's head. I even prefer it to the Glaspar top.

The reason it looks so good is that every other hardtop I've ever seen tries to follow the back edge of the "tub", which makes the car look like a notchback at best and like it has a tumor at worst. This one extends down onto the area between the tub opening and the engine lid opening.

It sits on the paint. It looks cool, to be sure - but that's a disaster waiting to happen.

@Michael McKelvey posted:

@Jon T, I can't see the images.  I get "image not found".

While some don't, I like the Plasticon hard top that is higher over the driver's head. I even prefer it to the Glaspar top.

Same here. No photos.

2nd attempt with photos

Window and hinges:

The bottom edge is interesting, the way it laps into the car.

It looks like the bottom edge of the rear window could be raised up.  I thought it looked too big compared to the sides.

Early corvette owners have hardtops that sit on the paint too. They remedy this by using plenty of wax at the seal contact points or install a clear protective film where the hardtop seal meets the paint. The top clamps down firm so there’s not a lot of flex or movement, but over time if you leave the top on for long periods you will get friction. Not really a big problem.