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      03-19-2020, 03:53 PM   #1
awesam
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i8 TARGA Top (not roadster)

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Anyone consider making their coupe i8 into a Targa top? Could be the best of both worlds by maintaining the back seats and also giving some open top driving enjoyment. This company seems to offer it.

https://newportconvertible.com/bmw-i8-targa-top/

constructive thoughts?
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      03-20-2020, 02:02 AM   #2
Blake745
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I would be interested in doing this. Any word on its progress?
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      03-20-2020, 09:20 AM   #3
stressdoc
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I value chassis rigidity. And w door mounts, seems challenging.
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      03-20-2020, 02:16 PM   #4
Mr Squarekins
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It's what bmw should have done. Better option than roadster. I love a targa top.
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      03-20-2020, 03:58 PM   #5
awesam
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Quote:
Originally Posted by stressdoc View Post
I value chassis rigidity. And w door mounts, seems challenging.
if you look at this image
View post on imgur.com
from the approx 27 minute i8 production line video, you can see that there are rails connecting the A pillars to the C pillars, since this is the main carbon fiber tub it appears clear that these rails are responsible for the structure of the tub. you can see the screengrab here (which happens at approx 4:16). so maybe a targa can be made maintaining these rails? wouldn't look perfect, but it would be reminiscent of the lancia beta montecarlo






also this may be a moot point as from what i understand, the carbon fiber tub is just bolted/ glued onto the e-drive frame. how much structure does the tub give to the overall vehicle? i'm not sure. this is not your typical unibody car. just some thoughts.

Last edited by awesam; 03-20-2020 at 04:32 PM..
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      03-21-2020, 02:29 AM   #6
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For one, beauty is in the eye of the beholder. If you look at the i8 roadster and this version, you can come to very different conclusions. For my part, I think the Roadster is very beautiful, open especially much more than the Coupe. And this sorry attempt is no match. So I am glad BMW didn't do this.

However regarding rigidity of the carbon reinforced plastic life module of the i8 I would not be concerned. I usually don't like Roadsters or Convertibles because of exactly the same reason mentioned above, the lack of rigidity and the wobbling of the whole car plus the weight increase to counteract that. But driving both Roadster and Coupe intensively before deciding for the Roadster I can confidently say the Roadster doesn't suffer from that issue and I suspect this modification wouldn't much either. Maybe the stability of the door construction that is modified for the Roadster would a little without affecting driving.

So if you can bare the looks go for it I would say.
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      03-21-2020, 09:47 AM   #7
awesam
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Leto1701 View Post
For one, beauty is in the eye of the beholder. If you look at the i8 roadster and this version, you can come to very different conclusions. For my part, I think the Roadster is very beautiful, open especially much more than the Coupe. And this sorry attempt is no match. So I am glad BMW didn't do this.

However regarding rigidity of the carbon reinforced plastic life module of the i8 I would not be concerned. I usually don't like Roadsters or Convertibles because of exactly the same reason mentioned above, the lack of rigidity and the wobbling of the whole car plus the weight increase to counteract that. But driving both Roadster and Coupe intensively before deciding for the Roadster I can confidently say the Roadster doesn't suffer from that issue and I suspect this modification wouldn't much either. Maybe the stability of the door construction that is modified for the Roadster would a little without affecting driving.

So if you can bare the looks go for it I would say.
the biggest things compelling me to the i8 is the fact that it is a supercar with 4 seats and electification. the only other car that comes close with this level of exotic design is the lotus evora (but then you miss out on al the electification). this is definitely a niche that is capturing the imagination of the best minds in the automotive industry as can be seen with the gamera. being able to add a t-top would just be the icing on the cake. the roadster just does away with one of the things that makes the car so unique as a platform turning it into a strict 2-seater.
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