Floride R1092 soft top..

56 Fregate

56 Fregate

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I'm about to launch into making a new soft top for my Floride and request an original photo of the rear screen if anyone has one.

I have identified 4 different types of soft top for the Caravelles Florides and Floride 's'

The one I am after is for the R1092 from vehicle No. 10952 onward secured with press studs.

I know it's a big ask but I'm concerned with getting the rear window shape correct.
 
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Not much help as mine is a Floride S. But I have still kept the original one for that. The new hood was an accurate copy. Alain said it was exactly like the original and even has a small bulge just as the original has. Some time back on the French forum there was a series of pictures showing the range of rear windows. Generally the Floride one was smaller than the Floride S. Sorry I cannot remember how far back it was.
 
is this an 's'..?

tops10.jpg
 
Apart from the rounded corners, how else does it differ to the other photos?
 
The line drawing looks correct the others are too close to the top edge for a Floride. Yours is like a Caravelle one but without rounded corners. I'll have a look through my photos tonight and see whether I have a correct one of Floride.
 
This is a factory photo or sales broucher of an earlier R1092 (note lack of press studs on the rear edge) but the shape of the window looks right.

tops2.jpg
 
Hi Kev,

I reckon it's difficult enough to get a rag top to look magnificent as they never look as good as a tin top so neat construction is important and so is design and proportion. The rear window shape is an important design feature and can look poxy if you get it wrong (see post #8) and of course it would be desirable to get it looking something like original as in post #11.
 
Yar I've seen those and neither are for my model..there are at least 4 different styles and/or fixing methods and that is why it's fraught with difficulty when buying ready made tops from O/S.

Cheers
 
Are you getting a completely new hood? I and another club member got ours done at Beenleigh Upholstery. He got the special material that is fawn on the inside like original. This is apparently for BMW's. Seems it took a bit of finding. Normal material is black both sides. He did such a good job Alain (French expert on Caravelles), when he was here, declared it as good as the original ones. Mind you my old one was original and so they had that to copy from. Cost $900. You can get cheaper vinyl material. You can check mine out if you like I've had it for two years it doesn't flap in the breeze. If you decide to bring your car down I can drive you home and bring you back if you like.
 
Yeah Rob,

I've spoken with your man at beenleigh and have seen the hood he did for Bruce and I would rank the one I saw as nothing less than perfect, he really knows his stuff and $900 is a good price.

I'm still chasing the aluminium dress moulding that goes over the ragtop join on the last bow if you know where I might get one.



IMG_2346.jpg
 
Another couple of period pics of the same car, it dates from mid 1960, so is likely to be a production car rather than a pre-production/ publicity vehicle.
 

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