functioning convertible top, good daily driver manufacturer?

[Newsnake]

In my irrational fixation with the preposterous idea of having a cobra be a daily driver appropriate for Northern California weather, I am curious if any one has ever made or had made a truly functional folding convertible top. If so what type of cobra do you drive? Are there structural reasons why this type of modification is not feasible?

Also, If there are any other suggestions for things to look for in a car that will be driven as much as possible, I would love peoples opinion. For example, are their certain manufacturers that produce a car that can merge with authority yet still feel like you can spend hours in the car without needing back surgery?

Thanks!

[FIA-ERA]

For one there is no room that I've ever seen to fit a functional folding top onto a Cobra. There isn't a lot of room even for a road map let alone a real top. The options are a Robbins top (per original), a tonneau cover, or a hard top cover. That's about it. You have to consider driving a Cobra is like a motorcycle or a trike. To be honest with you, I would love to drive my car everyday but not as a designated driver. There are just toooo many times where incidents happen that would NOT be a good out come for a Cobra. When I drive my Cobra it's like driving a motorcycle, you worry about everything else and no one seeing you. I'm very cautious!!

Now as far as owning a Cobra that's comfortable. Well, I think mine is but would I drive it 300 miles and not feel it, heck no! These cars are to me a lot of fun BUT stressful to say the least. If I had a lot of open road it would be a lot better but in town driving sucks! Just saying! Honestly and with no offense, I'd say spend the money on a newer Corvette. From experience, it just doesn't sound like a Cobra is for you. Regards, Matt

[Buzz]

On Cobras with a traditional rear-braced roll bar, the support leg generally gets in the way of a reasonably functional folding top. My car has a froward braced bar and I have on occasion folded the top, frame and all, back to rest on top of the rear cowl, rear of the top snapped in place and the whole thing held tight by three velcro straps run between the lift-dot fasteners. It worked ok, but really only serves to allow you to take the top along without using up the trunk space.

Erecting it from that position is marginally faster and easier than pulling it out of the trunk as the rear is already snapped on and you don't have the PITA of wrestling the frame/bow assembly through the eyelets in the underside of the fabric. It's convenient for trips in iffy weather, but looks ugly and I rarely ever do it. In fact, I rarely bother to take the top with me at all. Its just as easy to pull over someplace where you can shelter out the shower and use the tonneau cover on the car.

Having said that, I see no reason why a creative person couldn't design a workable folding top assembly for a Cobra. Heck, if you have a forward braced bar or no bar at all, you could go whole hog and cut an opening hatch in the rear cowl and have a top that disappears completely from view!

Also, If there are any other suggestions for things to look for in a car that will be driven as much as possible, I would love peoples opinion. For example, are their certain manufacturers that produce a car that can merge with authority yet still feel like you can spend hours in the car without needing back surgery?

Cobras are by nature bare bones, white-knuckle, crap-your-pants and laugh out loud kinda cars. There's not much else to compare them to - that's how different they are. Any decent Cobra will merge with authority, but unless you are a small-framed fellow, the thin, low back seats and the low sills/cowls preclude any possibility of real creature comfort.

People do put high-backed seats in and some manufacturers stretch and distort the body shape to get more room, but you are then driving less of a Cobra and more of some other thing. As for the way these modifications look, I'll keep my opinion to myself (**choke**barf#%) (just kidding guys)

Bottom line - if you have to make so many modifications to a Cobra to make it palateable to you, then as was said above, you may want to shop for something else already designed with your needs in mind.

[azfordman]

I suppose it all depends upon what you mean by "daily driver".... I would not have a cobra as my only vehicle, in fact, I could not get insurance on my car with out proof that I had a late model vehicle designated for every day use. With that being said, I drive the crap out of my car. Been averaging 1,000-1,200 miles a month. Most times when I go into town to run errands I drive the cobra. I do find it very comfortable and have made a couple of 200+ mile runs, and this is coming from a 6' 5" 280# guy who has no drivers seat! Is it a smooth ride? No way! Very stiff and unforgiving suspension, but that is what I want and expect from a performance car. I have never felt sore or uncomfortable during/after driving it. Again, it all comes down to personal taste...I did not like my 1996 Mustang because the ride was too "soft", too luxurious, if that makes any sense. I have a hard top and I love it. Takes about 5 minutes to put it on/take it off. Of course it is an either/or situation. Don't have the option to have top on then off during a drive, and I am quite content with that.

[Double Venom]

Buzz,
Funny I had never heard a whisper before of cutting the rear cowl for a folding top, until now!
Means nothing, but, when Steve Syrdal was CEO of the original Classic Roadsters, we sent a body and frame to "Sterling Tops" in Detroit to have one engineered. Sterling built all the tops for Chrysler at that time.

Two months later they came up with a prototype that would actually even work with a 3-point roll bar. (Much work had to be done to the rear cowl not only to hinge upward but also to allow the cowl to pass over-through- the roll bar.)

Cost for the actual prototype was in excess of $20K, tops were expected to be just under 5K! Great idea..........but obviously went by the way-side.

[Buzz]

Hey DV! Yes - I can imagine the R&D alone to have something like that tooled up commercially would be way up there. I would love to see how they pulled it off though. Any pics, drawings or sketches kicking around?

I wouldn't think of doing it myself, but I'm sure someone with good fabbing and glass skills (and cojones of steel) could do a one off on their own car.

[rms427]

I used my car as a daily driver for the first 4 years I owned it. This was in Southern California. I would put up the top if I thought it was going to rain which in Southern California wasn't very often. If it was a light rain I would often just drive it without a top since the rain goes over the top until you stop. As far as comfort, I find the car seats comfortable. The problem with driving the car for an extended time is the heat, noise and wind. The last long trip I drove the car 350 miles in one day. It was in the summer with temperatures in the 90's and my wife almost had a heat stroke. She told me no more long trips especially in the summer. By the way when I used the car as a daily driver I was in my 20's. I wouldn't do it now that I'm in my 60's.

[Double Venom]

Buzz,
Sterling top had one that wold work--$25K (?) for R&D! Then close to $5K per top. That just about took care of doing a folding top. Sterling held and "kept" all engineering plans and even sketches of the top.

I will say it was totally impressive though, rear cowl was cut with at least three hinged areas to not only fold under the cowl, but to be able to work with a 3-point roll-bar!

Afterwards I developed one with hidden hinges on the rear cowl, a built in, self draining channel in the "cut". But, could not come up with a way to work with a roll-bar. When the top was down and folded up, nothing but a fine / finished edge where the opening on the cowl showed.

The rear of the top was "Fixed, no pins, clips, etc. showed with the top up or down. The rear of the top was already "fixed" in place under the cowl when the top was raised. Told CR's to send me a Cobra, (Like they did for the first DV) and I would design it for free and they were to have the tops built and sold. Easy to assemble for the home builder but "care" was essential on installation.

Installed: about 1 1/2 to 2 minutes to raise the cowl and completely secure the top in place!

With that CR's felt the cost was prohibitive for the average buyer. My plans sat in the engineering office for over 18 months, then just disappeared.........

Oh-well I still think it would have been a great option. The CR body was made for this top!

[Buzz]

Originally Posted by rms427

I used my car as a daily driver for the first 4 years I owned it. This was in Southern California. I would put up the top if I thought it was going to rain which in Southern California wasn't very often. If it was a light rain I would often just drive it without a top since the rain goes over the top until you stop. As far as comfort, I find the car seats comfortable. The problem with driving the car for an extended time is the heat, noise and wind. The last long trip I drove the car 350 miles in one day. It was in the summer with temperatures in the 90's and my wife almost had a heat stroke. She told me no more long trips especially in the summer. By the way when I used the car as a daily driver I was in my 20's. I wouldn't do it now that I'm in my 60's.

Man, I bet you have some interesting memories of driving a big block original Cobra around Southern California! Feel free to tell us some stories!

From azfordman:

I do find it very comfortable and have made a couple of 200+ mile runs, and this is coming from a 6' 5" 280# guy who has no drivers seat!

Lol! I've read on here about your long treks with no seat! What do you sit on - surely not the bare carpeted floor? I suppose for a guy your size, a thin cushion with a backrest all stitched up to look like the pattern and shape of the seats would be a way to go. You have my respect - didn't I read somewhere that you got a "cast iron butt" award at one of the Cobra events for covering so many miles without a seat?

Ed - you might remember - there was a member here years ago who developed and sold an articulated folding Cobra soft top that folded, erected and attached to the body in front of the roll bar. It had a wild looking articulated frame and when it was up the rear window was directly behind the driver's head with the roll bar on the outside.

[DonC]

Can't speak for other manufacturers but I put a lot of miles on my ERA during a season (read June through Sep.) here in the northwet.
Longest one day trip Portland to San Francisco (640 miles). Arrived without aches and pains. Followed up with a couple of days in SFO then 3 days in Carmel and 3 days back up to coast back to Portland. Total for the trip about 1600 miles with my wife with me from SFO to Portland. Only put the top up once for cooler temps with heavy mist the second to last day. Would have taken another day on the return but were running in front of the rain coming back in to Portland.
Have driven down to Snakes to the Lake (about 500 miles Portland to Sacramento) and then up and around Lake Tahoe for a couple of days. Total for those about 1300 miles.
I do an annual run with the Denver club that covers 1000 to 1200 miles in 5 or 6 days. Last year with my wife. On the local scene we've been doing a 3 day run for the last 3 years and it's an easily doable event covering around 6 or 700 miles. Regular runs of 1 or 2 hundred miles are common.
Can carry enough with us that we don't need a laundromat for the 6 day shunts including my soft top and side curtains plus all the other junk that one normally keeps in the trunk (you just have to learn how to pack using the cheeks of the rear fenders).
Just finished my 6th season and have 44 thousand miles on the car. I usually arrive at my destinations without any more discomfort than I'd get in a "normal" car except for my cheeks being sore from smiling.
With the top up I've driven in temps as low as 40 degrees and been quite comfortable.
While not a "car for all seasons" the Cobra can be a viable second car. It still leaks a bit when driving in the rain (hey, this is a replica of a British sports car, by law it has to leak in the rain) but all things considered I wouldn't trade it for the world.
As a side note neither are they a purely young person's car. I just turned 69 and have no intention of slowing down any time soon.
DonC

[Buzz]

My wife and I feel quite comfortable in my car as well, but our comfort thresholds may be different from someone who is used to driving normal cars.

Leaks in the rain? Hell yeah! Nothing like a trickle of cold water on your foot from the windshield post (I think) while trying to concentrate on what you're doing in a driving rain! Man I love that lil' car.

As for long trips, I couldn't drive 600 miles if I wanted to - unless of course I just kept circling the island a few times .

[Buzz]

I remember the fellow who made the folding tops now. His name was Rick Young and I think he later began posting under the name CRZN427. He made and sold a few tops for other members and if I recall correctly, he started to specialize in making them for Factory Five Cobras. Maybe one of the FFR forum members will have more details and pictures.

[Double Venom]

Buzz,
Now that is an accomplishment! No I'd never heard of him.

[Buzz]

Found some pics! The pillar mounted window swings up and out when the door is opened.