Came across a Lotus Elise Hardtop in the same color as my Roadster this past weekend. I guess I lucked out. I always thought the Roadster color I have, Radiant Red was the same color as the Canyon Red on the Lotus Elise. Looking at the pics of the top it looked exactly the same as my Roadster but the seller said it came from his Bordeaux Red Lotus Elise which he wrecked. The Bordeaux is to be more of a dark red wine of a color. I showed up and luckily enough it was an exact match in color to my Roadster. Looking at pics of a Canyon Red vs the Bordeaux Red I'm thinking he didn't know what color he really had. Pics on the Internet show the Bordeaux being a more purple than the Canyon Red.
Anyways, this will be my 3rd hardtop I have for the Roadster. The original Carbon Fiber Tesla top in Radiant Red, the Visium Glass top, and the Lotus Elise top in the Radiant Red. All three tops give a unique look to the Roadster.
The Tesla top covers the CF roll bar cover but it runs long making the Roadster appear longer. It also creaks when the car turns and when the car lifts in any of the 4 wheel points. I believe all that creaking comes from the roll bar cover mating with the underside of the top.
The Visium/Glass top is great, small in size, light, and offers a very open feel, F-16 Fighter cockpit feel, and wonderful to drive in the moonlight and rain. However it does get warmer inside the Roadster since sunlight still comes through the top and the top is mostly black/tint in color making it a hotter surface.
The Lotus Elise top is nice since it has a small footprint like the Visium top. It is heavier out of the three since the top is made out of Fiberglass not Carbon Fiber or a thin plexiglass shell with a lightweight frame. Installation is a breeze the Elise top, mount points are the same as the Visium top. It also allows the CF roll bar cover to be exposed which gives a different look with the Roadster, something that's nice to look at. And an indent down the middle of the top which gives it a racy look. This will be the top I can just grab and throw on rather quickly and not really care too much if I scratch/ding it. It came with some scratches since the guy didn't keep it covered in his garage. I buffed most of them out, its not a big deal. Best part is that this top will help shield the rays of the sun and offer some insulation as well. Pretty happy with it. They come up for sale from time to time on Ebay or the Lotus forums. Lowest I've seen is $700 all the way to $2000 for a used one.
Anyways, this will be my 3rd hardtop I have for the Roadster. The original Carbon Fiber Tesla top in Radiant Red, the Visium Glass top, and the Lotus Elise top in the Radiant Red. All three tops give a unique look to the Roadster.
The Tesla top covers the CF roll bar cover but it runs long making the Roadster appear longer. It also creaks when the car turns and when the car lifts in any of the 4 wheel points. I believe all that creaking comes from the roll bar cover mating with the underside of the top.
The Visium/Glass top is great, small in size, light, and offers a very open feel, F-16 Fighter cockpit feel, and wonderful to drive in the moonlight and rain. However it does get warmer inside the Roadster since sunlight still comes through the top and the top is mostly black/tint in color making it a hotter surface.
The Lotus Elise top is nice since it has a small footprint like the Visium top. It is heavier out of the three since the top is made out of Fiberglass not Carbon Fiber or a thin plexiglass shell with a lightweight frame. Installation is a breeze the Elise top, mount points are the same as the Visium top. It also allows the CF roll bar cover to be exposed which gives a different look with the Roadster, something that's nice to look at. And an indent down the middle of the top which gives it a racy look. This will be the top I can just grab and throw on rather quickly and not really care too much if I scratch/ding it. It came with some scratches since the guy didn't keep it covered in his garage. I buffed most of them out, its not a big deal. Best part is that this top will help shield the rays of the sun and offer some insulation as well. Pretty happy with it. They come up for sale from time to time on Ebay or the Lotus forums. Lowest I've seen is $700 all the way to $2000 for a used one.
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