Forget $7 Apple stock, ignore Tesla, and skip big pharma: The best investment on the planet is probably OEM Miata hardtops, which have skyrocketed in price to be worth as much as $3000 in decent condition.
And though this project has been far from the cheapest Miata we’ve ever built, we just couldn’t stomach bolting that much cash on top …
For about $1000, we’d solved our “there’s a giant hole in the car” problem.
Don't forget to add ~$350 shipping if you're not in south FL. TC will combine several hard tops in one box if you can find a couple friends to club up with to reduce shipping.
It's a great top for a track car, but after having both OEM style and the TC lightweight, I wouldn't use a TC top on the street.
Here's the box it ships in:
Do remember that some sanctioning bodies, I think mostly RallyX, require an OEM hardtop.
Personally I think once my car gets a cage I am going to oversize it for more room and safety, so I'll have to build my own roof if I want covering.
In reply to AWSX1686 (Forum Supporter) :
Solid advice. It's definitely checking check with your sanctioning body before doing anything drastic.
AWSX1686 (Forum Supporter) said:Do remember that some sanctioning bodies, I think mostly RallyX, require an OEM hardtop.
Personally I think once my car gets a cage I am going to oversize it for more room and safety, so I'll have to build my own roof if I want covering.
Non-OEM hard tops are now allowed in SCCA rallycross in the Modified classes with a roll bar.
FooBag (Forum Supporter) said:AWSX1686 (Forum Supporter) said:Do remember that some sanctioning bodies, I think mostly RallyX, require an OEM hardtop.
Personally I think once my car gets a cage I am going to oversize it for more room and safety, so I'll have to build my own roof if I want covering.
Non-OEM hard tops are now allowed in SCCA rallycross in the Modified classes with a roll bar.
Thanks for that info! Glad to hear it too since they are getting so expensive.
Are new OEM hardtops available again?
How does it attach and is it removable quickly.?
Kitsbeach (Forum Supporter) said:How does it attach and is it removable quickly.?
It all depends on how you attach it. On mine, it's 6 bolts. I used the standard style brackets on the front, and made my own mounts off the roll bar in the rear. On/Off in 3 minutes.
In reply to Kitsbeach (Forum Supporter) :
It bolts onto the factory latch mounts, so maybe 10 minutes to remove.
Floating Doc (Forum Supporter) said:Are new OEM hardtops available again?
That would definitely be on my list if it is the case. I sold the hardtop from the 02SE that we turned into an Exocet, to the guy who bought the shell. Seemed a color matched top should go with the car it belonged to, after all. That and the Titanium paint would have looked funky on my silver 99.
That said, my car's softtop is developing holes, and I always did like the hardtop on her car...
I thought I recently saw Treasure Coast Miata offering new OE hardtops as well. If not on their site, maybe give them a call.
OEM hardtops are another item that's been hammered by the SM tax. They were rare to begin with, and IIRC both SCCA and NASA require OEM hard tops for competition. In a world where 14 year olds from well-heeled families race $80k Miatae in what sometimes amount to crash-up derby, this is the unfortunate and inevitable result. SM is usually some great competitive racing, but I feel like the class has jumped the shark for lunchbucket types who just want good clean racing on a budget. It appears that B Spec is the new SM, SM is the new SRF, SRF is the new FF, etc.
I got the Frankenstein bolts for my new hardtop from TCM. The hardtop already had a FM sticker too. Did I mention the headliner and defroster too? I also got the striker plates and latches. I'm gonna have to make it pretty though, but it was a great deal.
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