Convertable Top with Rear Glass??

[Chapman]

Anyone know what years the Convertable Top on the 2000's had glass instead of plastic rear windows. From what I remember my rear window was glass and you could zip it out from the inside. It was either a 1982 or 1983. I only see photos of the convertable tops with plastic??

[divace73]

I don't recall them ever having glass, they all fold in the middle of the plastic, could you be thinking of the MX5 (Miata)?

[Chapman]

Hi,

No--I had either a 1982 or 1983 I bought new. It was a turbo and it had a hard glass window that you could actually take out from the inside. It had a zipper. I liked that feature because I had an MGB with the plastic in 1976 and it clouded up as time went by. The glass was key when I bought it. I just do not remember wheather I had an 82 or an 83?

[BEEK]

no fiat spider ever had a glass rear window from the factory. i do not recall a glass window even being available from any manufacturer of aftermarket fiat tops. and i used to own a 82 turbo spider bought new from the dealer

[Chapman]

Well all I can say is mine did and I bought it right off the lot new---last ones to be sold. So maybe the final production had them. I also had a hard top built for it and remember taking the glass out when I put the top on for the winter. I do not like that plastic for the obvious reason that it clouded up.

Thanks anyway.

[divace73]

could you fold the roof down with the glass in?

[Chapman]

Yes I could, I would not have bought the car if it did not----the window was smaller and did not have the round corners. As this was the last of the Fiat NA sales and one of the last turbo's made, they may have only produced a few. Within 6 months you could not buy parts for the car until they sorted out their Bankruptcy. What a mess it was.

[BEEK]

chapman, not trying to argue. but if the car had a glass rear window, it was an aftermarket addition. not factory, i was working at fiat dealerships at that time as a factory trained mechanic. i did pre delivery inspections on all 82 fiats that went thru our dealership. not to mention all of the repairs too. i owned a fiat salvage yard for 20 years, i also owned the last fiat authorized parts and service dealerships in georgia. if it was fiat oem i have seen it at that time.

[Chapman]

Beek--

Like I said it was the end run for Fiat NA. in 1983 when 128 Ford/Fiat in Boston was selling the last Spiders. There were 5 of them on the lot. 1 Turbo, 3 Standards, and 1 Automatic. They all had glass rear view windows. It was great because you could take the window out and drive around if you wanted to. I doubt they would do special tops but who knows.

Funny about the Turbo as I read they only converted just over 700 of them in the entire US out of NJ. but I read so many people say they owned one or I see them still for sale. I wonder if they are talking about retrofits aftermarket or the ones that came out of NJ.

[divace73]

Beek--

Like I said it was the end run for Fiat NA. in 1983 when 128 Ford/Fiat in Boston was selling the last Spiders. There were 5 of them on the lot. 1 Turbo, 3 Standards, and 1 Automatic. They all had glass rear view windows. It was great because you could take the window out and drive around if you wanted to. I doubt they would do special tops but who knows.

Funny about the Turbo as I read they only converted just over 700 of them in the entire US out of NJ. but I read so many people say they owned one or I see them still for sale. I wonder if they are talking about retrofits aftermarket or the ones that came out of NJ.

would you have any old pics by chance, I'd love to see how it was done?

[Chapman]

I have dozens of photos but all with the top down. Interesting that this top was not widely known. The car was a beauty but a real leamon to boot.

[Snoopy]

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Q752hTisFG8

[4uall]

It's ALIVE!

[spidernut]

That's a cool conversion with a glass window! Note that it wasn't a Pininfarina Azzura. You can tell by the boot hooks and rear seat. The window is a bit smaller than the plastic one. I didn't see any way that it would detach from the top for driving with the top up and the window down.

I've also seen many, many Fiats including several later years but I've never seen one with a glass window either.

[Ramzi]

In all my years around 124's, Ive never seen a 'glass rear window' on a Spider. The Spider top in the video above is a retrofit done in Germany on an early Spider - and not a later Turbo car. And the only cosmetic changes mentioned in the Fiat / Legend Turbo supplement are decals and wheels.

That's not to say that when the Spider 2000 cars were sent to Legend Industries in NY. (for turbo conversion) someone might have had the idea of changing the top on one or two.