Tuscan Challenge Windows and removable roof

[blackiepaul]

Might be a stupid couple of questions these.

A number of the challenge cars are seen with a hard top. Is this removable?

Secondly running a roof with windows open must be like having a parachute n the car. Do they have or can they have fitted side windows?

[V8 GRF]

Yes the hardtop is removable and yes they do have removable side windows. Danny whinstanley's Green Tuscan was built for a Swedish series and had both fitted as standard as well as the big rear wing.

[blackiepaul]

V8 GRF said:

Yes the hardtop is removable and yes they do have removable side windows. Danny whinstanley's Green Tuscan was built for a Swedish series and had both fitted as standard as well as the big rear wing.

Thanks David. Are you going on Sunday? If you are we can go out and you can try my car?

[Terminator]

Paul, John Reid at www.readmanracing.co.uk is the man for Challenge car parts and information.

[450Nick]

blackiepaul said:

Might be a stupid couple of questions these.

A number of the challenge cars are seen with a hard top. Is this removable?

Secondly running a roof with windows open must be like having a parachute n the car. Do they have or can they have fitted side windows?

The hard top is indeed removeable. There are two types of hard top that I know of, the Tuscan GT one made by John Reid (I also own a mould for this), and another curvier style used on Carl Hansen's car in NZ.

Most cars I've seen run removeable plastic windows, the only one that I know of that doesn't is my car (the sister car to Danny's green one - Danny's was a customer car, and mine was owned by the team). Mine goes one step further however and has a completely removeable back end in the form of a custom clamshell. On my car, the roof bolting down actually holds the rear clam on as well.

As has been suggested, John Reid is your man for Tuscan knowledge

[darren no 7]

i have a roof for a tuscan if any one wants one

[V8 GRF]

blackiepaul said:

Thanks David. Are you going on Sunday? If you are we can go out and you can try my car?

Yes if it's not raining too hard and I guess that might be a good time to drive your car as well ie When it's not raining

[Graham]

Removable, ultimately yes, the hard top is just a basic shell that everyone bolts on in different ways.

you do get some drag from not having side screens, there are no side screens as such just what you make if you want them. The hardtop even without side screens does smooth out the airflow a lot and reduces drag. Its also essential if your going to run a rear wing.

I've done a mould for a similar roof that inculdes a big bulge to go over the roll cage hoop, and must get it on the car at some point...

the "standard" hard top fouls the cage in 3 or 4 other places so need cutting about to fit. I think one of the sprinters uses the same basic hard top on an S

[RetroWheels]

John Reid (Grantura Engineering) can supply hard tops taken from a mould of the one we modified a few years ago.
These are a better fit than the earlier mould, as they cover the roll hoop extension and are bigger around the "shoulders" of the main roll cage tubing.

[blackiepaul]

any pics of the side "windows" in place

[450Nick]

Just look for any pictures of Danny's car running (I would but can't see any pics at work). Its essentially just a sheet of plastic bolted to the inside of the door. I may do the same on mine, the guys who used to run mine just had a window net though to stop the inside becoming an oven. Danny had this problem too and had to put a load of vents around to get more air in - and it was still like an oven when he came off the circuit!