Hey Guys,
I have been running my Cobra in competitive rallies for more than 20 years. I bought one of Ron Butler's hardtops to run the last Starlite rally in December 2000. That event used to run the second weekend in December and left Santa Barbara on Friday evening. After 14 to 15 hours, you would hopefully end up in Las Vegas. I ran the Starlite in the Cobra 6 times without a top and nearly died from the wind chill every time. It was more of a survival test than a rally. The 2000 event had a lot of rain and I was very glad to have the new top and windows in place. I was also running Hoosier race tires with very little tread and spent a lot of time sliding sideways around the curves. It was a memorable event even though we spent a lot of time defrosting the inside of the windows with towels.
My son and I made a trip from Los Angeles to Austin for a Texas Cobra Club meet in 2001 and the top was a lifesaver in the rain and snow that we encountered. It permitted relative comfort in high speed cruising.
However, running with the top does have drawbacks. Primarily, your vision is severely restricted. I never thought about how much I look
over the windshield until I got the top on. We tried to use it while running local rallies, but it is so difficult to see traffic lights and even tall street signs, that we have given up on it.
The other issue is noise. I covered the car's floor and back panel with 1/2 inch thick insulation. The inside of the top is covered with foam backed fabric. But the reverberation inside the car at speed is just unbearable without earplugs. A headache will kick in after 20 to 30 minutes. The car is so uncomfortable with the top on, that we would rather run in the rain without it (wearing ski clothes), if the weather is warm enough. If the weather is too cold and wet, we just drive a different car.
My top has been collecting dust for at least 5 years, but it (and the earplugs) are ready next time we do another cross country trip.
RS
