I've owned 3 hardtop Coopers, and love the shape. I'm going with an R52 this time around after deciding to sell my '76 Jeep CJ5 and find myself in a drop top deficit. For the sake of, why not?, I'm trying the R52. I love the idea, but when the tops up, its not as timeless as the R53 (or Austin Healey for that matter).

My question is this: Is there an option for a removable hardtop like so many convertibles: most notably the Miata. IMO, thats a perfect roadster, and if it had a back seat I would have picked one up over another MINI. The Miata has aftermarket support and offers a removable hardtop which offers the functionality of the ragtop and the lines of a hardtop.

Thoughts?

 

My first thought was sure, its called a R53.

Not ever heard or seen one. The way the R52 retracts over the driver before the top starts to open up is pretty cool. Had Miata's, S2000s and Corvette Verts. Cooper is lightweight like the Miata but has allot more room and is much easier to get in/out of.

 

Sorry there isn't one as it wouldn't attach at the rear with the top folded down.

 

You have to admit, if you could have the R53-like removable hardtop that would be best of both worlds. Works for the Miata, why not MINI? I dont think the MINI needs to be a convertible, but I believe I need at least one convertible in the garage and why cant it be a MINI?

 

WayMotorWorks explained why: "there isn't one as it wouldn't attach at the rear with the top folded down."

You need to look at an R52 with the top down. Mechanically a hard cover just wouldn't work unless you first remove the entire convertible roof from the car.

 

if you look at a MINI 'vert with the top down, the top does not fully disappear INTO the car, it kinda overhangs in the back ...





so ya can't easily bolt on a cap ....

On the Miata (up to now, dunno about the new one) the top drops into a pocket and there is no interference to clamp on a hard top (had a 95 with a hard top). It would work in theory with an R-59 as here too the soft top drops completely INTO the car ... edges are clean.





Editorial: The top for the Miata also had a couple of other things working for it ... as I understand things, a hard top is required for some racing classes. Mazda clearly wanted to support Miata racing hence a top was offered; folks who wanted one for racing offered to buy mine several times. .... and second, look at HOW MANY Miatas were produced. Even tho the body changed, the first three iterations all used the same hard top!

Editorial two: btw, most dictionaries will define "roadster" as two seat open car

*****
Funny story ... there is a long running Miata web site similar to this one that I still go back to from time to time (they have a tools section that is very good) .... a guy came there once and asked if anyone had ever made their own hardtop and had plans.

He was going to "buy a sheet of 1/2 inch thick steel" and make a top out of that ..... I always wondered how far he got .... if he ever did order that steel, I bet it is still sitting right where they dropped it off the truck!

 

Much easier for 2 seat cars to still kinda look like their hardtop brother then a 4 seater to do it with a softop. Granted with a hardtop it would be bout the same. If the 2 seat Roadster had sold more cars and stayed in production I could see someone making a hardtop for it but with MINI changing the cars every 5-6 years they don't sell enough of a certain style to make it profitable for the after market to offer one..
Also with a small 2 seater, 1 person can more easily remove the top then a bigger 4 seater.

 

I wish I had one on my R52, they never did make one. It would have to be pretty advanced to fit with the top down. I imagine if someone made one the soft top would have to come off as an assembly.