![]() (Each window switch operates both side panes simultaneously.) Mitsubishi will offer a lightweight wind deflector sometime soon that pops into place in the rear-passenger well, but we found the car relatively draft-free during our test even without it, particularly when the side windows were up. The result is a pretty sturdy top, and reasonably quiet motoring, even on noisy concrete freeways in California. ![]() The idea is to reduce wind noise and improve atmospheric sealing for better heater and air-conditioner performance. To ensure good sealing, Mitsubishi adopted the short-stroke mechanism we've seen on more-expensive cars with sashless windows, where the glass drops down a tad when the door is opened and closed to engage special door seals. In this case, molten rubber is applied to the inner and outer roof layers using a technique known as "knife-over-roll coating" and then fused together and cured for six weeks. That ballooning effect you see on old convertibles is mostly due to the use of butyl rubber.īut the natural-rubber process is quite complicated. Natural rubber is preferable to the more commonly used butyl rubber, says Mitsubishi, because it holds its shape better and resists stretching and shrinking during exposure to extreme temperatures. There's a cotton headliner, with a natural rubber layer between it and the acrylic outer fabric. Acrylic itself is a step up from the vinyl used on some cars in the same price segment. The material used is acrylic cloth, dyed black or gray before the threads are spun into fabric to avoid the uneven discoloration typically found at high-wear areas on cheaper tops. The design makes no effort to mimic the coupe's roofline, and the spyder flaunts its own unique profile. When stowed, a power hard-tonneau panel that integrates the appearance of the rear deck covers the whole deal, tidily avoiding the so-called baby-buggy look you see with high roof stacks. All you do is manhandle two windshield-frame clasps and push a button. Fabricated by the American Sunroof Company to Mitsubishi's specifications, the new ragtop is powered by a hydraulic mechanism that stows or erects it in about 19 seconds. Mitsubishi speaks of "the attainable exotic" in reference to the company's new Eclipse Spyder, and although that might sound like marketing hyperbole when the car in question starts at about 26 grand, you need to hear the rest of the justification.Ĭompany spokesmen cite the car's zoomy styling and equipment, but we think it's mostly about the roof.
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