BMW
Image courtesy Flickr/jbwan
The BMW Z3 soft top roadster debuted with a splash: it hit dealerships soon after being featured as James Bond’s car in the movie “GoldenEye.” Later that year, a special James Bond Edition Z3 was featured in the (in)famous Niemen Marcus Christmas Catalog. BMW fans went wild for the Z3, which was built starting with the 3 series’ E36 platform.
The BMW Z3 convertible top placed it in competition with two other popular sporty cars of the time: the Porsche Boxster and the Mazda Miata. All three cars deliver a remarkable bargain for what you get: some of the best sports convertibles on the road today.
Although some reviews criticized the initial Z3 as being “underpowered,” later versions shipped with a broader range of engines, up to a powerful 3.2 liter 6 cylinder that produces 325 horsepower. The redesign in 2000 also changed the styling of the car’s rear end, which some people found preferable to the original model, and others criticized for looking more bulky.
We sell replacement convertible tops for the Z3 model years 1996-2002 inclusive. All of our tops include the factory style plastic vinyl window with a very light green tint, no zipper, and factory style piping. We offer a variety of different fabrics for your replacement Z3 soft top. Click here to see them all!
Photo credit Flickr/Automotive Rhythms
We have a lot of different options for the canvas material that we use for canvas replacement convertible tops. Regardless of which canvas top is original equipment for your car, you can choose any of the following canvas products for your replacement canvas convertible top. This is a common industry practice, and will not sacrifice the quality or the look.
Stayfast Canvas
This is a special canvas fabric designed specifically for convertible tops. It looks something like tent material, and is a three-ply composite material with an acrylic weave outer layer, a rubber inner layer, and a cotton drill inner lining.
Stayfast canvas is original equipment for the Chevrolet Camaro, Dodge Viper, Plymouth Prowler, Pontiac Firebird, Alfa Romeo Spider, Lotus Elite, Rover MGF, Peugeot 306, RR Bentley Azure, Toyota Celica, and Mazda Miata.
Stayfast canvas is also often used as a replacement material for European cars, as a less-expensive alternative to the original German or Sonnendeck canvas.
Sonnendeck, a.k.a. Twillfast II Canvas
Sonnendeck is similar to Stayfast canvas, but with a textured backing in either black or tan.
Sonnendeck is original equipment on the Aston Martin DB7, Audi Cabriolet, Jaguar XK8, BMW Z3 Roadster, Chevy Corvette from 1998 on, BMW 3 Series Cabriolet (E36), Opel Astra, and the VW Golf III.
Twillfast, a.k.a. Twillfast JX
This is the Sonnedeck/Twillfast II canvas, but with a gray backing. It is original equipment on the Chrysler Sebring JXI.
Original German Canvas, a.k.a. Sonnenland or A5
This is the original German canvas, made with a twill weave outer fabric, a rubber inner layer, and a dobby weave lining fabric. It is original equipment on the VW new Beetle Convertible, Mercedes, Porsche, Saab 9-3, and Volvo C-70.
Here are some of the questions we received from customers this week – they may help you as you are searching for the right convertible top or seat covers for your vehicle, too!
Question: I would like to replace the convertible top for my 1984 Porsche 911. Can I substitute a newer model year Porsche convertible top with glass window, in place of the original style top with plastic window? Thanks, Steve.
Answer: Great question Steve! Unfortunately, there is no way to replace the 1984 Porsche 911 plastic window with a glass window; this is true for all of the earlier model Porsche 911, 912, 930, 964, Carrera 2 and Carrera 4′s. This is because the first Porsche convertible model that came with a glass window from the factory was the 2002 model Porsche 911/996 Carrera Cabriolet; this model has a re-usable glass window. Based on this model, TopsOnline.com is able to offer a replacement glass window top for the 1999 through 2001 Porsche 911/996 Carrera models, which replaces the original style plastic window convertible top. However, this type of replacement is not available for the 1984 model 911 convertible that you have.
Question: Do you carry the padding for the 1997 BMW E36 Convertible? It is a piece that goes between the top and the headliner. Thanks, William.
Answer: Actually William, the BMW E36 convertible top does not have any padding between the top and the headliner. Although some similar model years’ European models – such as the Jaguar XJS, Mercedes CLK, and Audi A4 – did come with padding, the BMW E36 convertible did not come with padding. This is good news – your top has one less part to buy when you decide to replace it!
Question: I recently bought a top for my Peugeot 306 and I am very pleased with it. I am interested in getting replacement seat covers for my Peugeot; when I checked your web site, I noticed that I was not able to select the Peugeot for replacement seat covers. Can you help? Thanks, Sharon.
Answer: Unfortunately, TopsOnline.com does not currently manufacture replacement seat covers for the Peugeot 306; we currently make replacement seat covers for the Jaguar XK8, Mercedes Benz W107 and R129 SL & SLC models exclusively. However, we will be adding more models in the near future, so please check back with us often. We are glad to have another satisfied customer in you and want to earn your future business as well!
We hope that these questions and answers are helpful as you continue your journey to educate yourself about replacement convertible tops and seat covers. If we can be of any assistance at any time, please let us know by sending us an email, or calling us at 888-803-8505. Thank you!
