Hardtop Project

With the seemingly increasing unpredictability of the British summer time weather and from his own experience and for his own pleasure Rich found the increasing need for a hardtop designed around the requirements of the sportscar. Drawing on his own career experience of design, pattern, prototype development and manufacture to resolve the situation, the concept idea was born.

Starting from scratch over the next three years the project developed from the drawing board design, through pattern, prototype development, manufacturing plugs (patterns) and tooling from which sectional moulds could be taken to enable the hardtop and doors to be produced. Then came applying for registration and being granted Intellectual Property Patent Office Design Rights for protection of his designs and then to finally producing the finished creation.

The G.R.P. hardtop has been designed to complement the existing lines of the sportscar whilst offering easy access and exiting of the car.

With the soft top roof in place and a maximum roof height of only 43 inches from the ground, entry and exiting of the car always requires a certain amount of understanding and intimacy with your passenger as you either post yourself into the car head or feet first.

With the hardtop the maximum roof height has remained the same at 43 inches but has the addition of removable roof panels which can be left in situ and opened to allow easy access or removed completely and stored in the boot space to offer that essential open top driving experience.

Once in the car the roof lining offers a contrasting leather head console for map lighting. The frameless rear window is bespoke to the design and has been patterned, prototyped with moulds and tooling produced to enable manufacture, hinged on lightened bespoke aluminium hinges the rear window allows full access to the boot compartment for storage of the removable roof panels or transportation of your essential sandwiches and coffee.

The light weight G.R.P. doors are again designed, patterned and moulded from scratch to complement the hardtop roof design and lines of the car. The doors are removable via the conventional manner of lift of hinges and incorporate a rubber bead seal to prevent water ingress and flush fitted surface mounted locks for security.

Should an owner’s individual requirements or preference be for a one piece hardtop without removable roof panels this option has been catered for with the production moulds produced to accommodate this design and Intellectual Property Patent Office Registered Design Rights granted for the design.

With all the production plugs, patterns, moulds and tooling developed and manufactured and the Registered Design Rights granted and approved by the Intellectual Property Patent Office for the designs, Rich says with sufficient interest to enable small batch production he will be happy to re-produce the creation for other owners of the Seven marque.

If you would like to register interest please click on the Contact page.

If you already own a Seven recreation or are in the build process, please state which marque.

Thank-you

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© Richard Howlett 2013 - Website created by Rich and Christine Howlett