Hardtop

Now in production!

A clear carbon fiber hard top is one of the rarest options on the 1st generation Roadsters. Many original owners bought their cars with painted body color hard tops. The clear carbon version was released further into production and relatively few were sold. Some time after Roadster production ended, Tesla scrapped its inventory and the tooling to make them. Today, OEM clear carbon tops are highly sought after and typically sell within hours when listed.

Short of finding an original clear carbon top for sale, there are a couple of ways to create one:

1. Take an original painted top and skin the exterior with a layer of carbon fiber. This is an extremely laborious task, and results in a top that weighs more than the original. We’ve done this with a painted top that was badly damaged after flying off a car. Skinning it made sense, to restore its shape and provide additional rigidity.
2. Carefully disassemble an original top and create tooling to replicate each component. There are six major components required to make a complete top. This isn’t easy, but is the best way. And that’s what we’ve done here.

We’ve improved on the OEM hardtop in multiple ways:

1. Our tops are made completely with aerospace grade carbon fiber inside and out. All OEM tops (clear and painted) consisted of a carbon fiber exterior shell bonded to fiberglass structural components underneath. The OEM clear carbon top weighs in at around 21 pounds. Our top is roughly 15 pounds, almost a 30% reduction in weight. This difference is very noticeable while installing and removing it, as it has to be held straight out in front of you and carefully maneuvered to not scratch the car. Also because the raw interior side is carbon fiber, we can offer additional options for finishing it. Choose between fabric headliner or clear coat (gloss or satin).
2. For those who have OCD, the OEM clear carbon top was made “wrong” relative to the rest of the exterior carbon fiber panels. The distinctive twill line that runs diagonally across the fabric was flipped on the top. On cars with the full exterior carbon fiber package (hood, top, trunk spoiler, etc), the top would always look a bit “off” because of this. All of our tops will have the twill line running in the “correct” direction by default. For the purists among us, we can make an “OEM replica” top by request. Just let us know!
3. The clear carbon tops (and other OEM parts) are known for yellowing and turning cloudy with UV exposure. In the worst cases, the finish flakes off. There have been exciting new innovations in the composites industry in the time since the OEM tops were made. Our tops are made with a highly rated UV-stable epoxy and coated with a specialty clear UV inhibitor, before they are finished with a high solids 2K automotive clearcoat.
4. We use carbon fiber mounting hardware, fabricated in house. The OEM metal hardware is heavier and corrodes over time.
5. The OEM forward trim panel (clamp panel) is made from a thin layer of plastic reinforced by foam that easily cracks. Ours are made from multiple plies of carbon fiber layered around a polyester core material, giving it extra rigidity. This is a critical component, as it adds clamping force against the windshield frame between the two forward mounting brackets.

We use OEM weatherstripping from Lotus on the sides and a standard D-profile seal on the front.

All tops are assembled on an actual car for best fit, and road tested at highway speeds.

Everything needed for a complete install is included – trim panel, seals, brackets, and bolts.

How much, and how do I order one?

Clear carbon hardtop with black fabric headliner on ceiling – $5,000

Clear carbon hardtop with clear carbon ceiling – $7,000

A refundable $500 deposit is requested to reserve your place in line. Because this is a large special order part, please allow 4-6 weeks for your top to be fabricated. When your top is ready, we will contact you and request the remainder of the balance before shipping. Your deposit is refundable until we notify you that your top is ready for shipment.

For the United States, we offer flat rate shipping for $175. For buyers outside the United States, please select “Calculate and pay later” at checkout and we will contact you to work out the details.