A few months ago while watching one of the car builders on the velocity TV there was a guy who had a 63 Corvette convertible. He wanted a coupe but couldn't find one . So he had this shop fabricate a split window coupe top. I thought it would be a tough job but without modifying the convertible they made a drop on top the looked just like the coupe and the only difference was the joint line going around the top which you didn't notice if you were 10 feet away. So could you do it with the XK , would you even want to and instead of a coupe top would you ever want a hardtop . Just some sky blue thoughts.

 

Fantom Autoworks

 

Personally, I think the convertible looks better top down AND top up. I'm not a fan of the huge Hatchback-looking rear half clamshell thing.

 

The Porsche Boxster had an aftermarket top that would make it look like a Cayman, expensive but looked fairly nice I guess. Obviously the Miata has a hardtop for their convertible, as does the Honda S2000, older Merc 500, and maybe a couple others... though this might be a decent idea for those where the desire to have a hardtop for in-climate weather you then need two people to remove it or an apparatus, hopefully don't damage the top or your paint in doing so, and lastly a place to store the beast when not using it so its rarely useful. It also requires removal to use the convertible feature rather than just folding down so not handy at all. For those with coupes I know you love that look but us with conv's are not jealous in the least so the idea of us spending money to look like you is not something I'd spend $$$ on. With the smaller cars without headliners in their roofs a hardtop was a novel idea in quieting the car road noise down

 

I don't think it would work with the XK. The XK "coupe" is really more of a "hatch". The corvette coupe really is a coupe. (almost like comparing a fastback to notchback mustang). Also I think the rear quarters on the XK "coupe" are wider

Maybe I'm the oddball here, I love the coupe's wider hips.

 

Nope, it's apparently an optical illusion due to the differences in height between the coupe and the convertible and the longer, more tucked-in shape of the coupe's roofline. My 2009 XK Sales Brochure shows the exterior width, excluding mirrors, to be the same for both the coupe and convertible (both XK and XKR) at 74.5 inches. The coupe is 52.3 inches high and the convertible is 52.0 inches high (top up).

 

Best option is to buy one of each….LOL…. I saw that episode with the Vette. I must admit that the craftmanship (on tv anyway) was incredible, Quite the transformation, and, I guess, the owner does have the best of both worlds…. convertible or hardtop…. decisions,decisions

 

In my youth I had a 63 Corvette convertible with the optional hardtop. We didn't have a garage and it was my daily driver. In the summer I would put the top on the front porch and cover it with tarp. I would put it on in the winter and at that time would do it myself. It wasn't very heavy or at least I didn't think so.
With the Jag I find the top to be uniquely designed and with the insulation it is very quiet on the road but I rarely have it up. I usually put the top down while in the garage as I wait for the idle to go into closed loop.