Lost Hardtop Leaving Challenge Along I75

So we rolled out of the Challenge host hotel this morning about 3-3:15, and somewhere just shy of I10 our borrowed hardtop separated from our Miata.

We were running front and rear OEM attachment points, and had no problems with latches coming loose, etc. I've never even heard of this happening with a Miata.

We went to bed early after the banquet, and didn't check the latches this morning when we left, just checked tie downs and rolled out. I know some of y'all were up party rockin' much later than us, did anyone see anyone poking around our car last night? Nothing's missing out of the car. We just can't surmise how this happened, but it did. Just want to rule everything out.

So anyone coming north on I75 this morning, keep an eye out for a blue Miata hardtop.

Just went back and drove up and down a few times and found it, that E36 M3 got obliterated. There's nothing left. That's not gonna be cheap to replace.

This has not been an easy event for us. :(

Just figured out what happened. When we got back to the trailer (the truck and trailer stopped while we went back with the van to find the hardtop), we looked over the car, and the window trim clips from the passenger door were lying in a pile on the floor of the car.

We didn't do that.

Someone berkeleyed with our car.

Between the time we parked it at the hotel and the time we left, someone messed with our car. I seriously doubt it was malicious, but it's apparent someone NOT on our team was fidgeting with our car, and must have toggled the top latch and not put it back. I know for a fact that latch was secure, as I gave a quick lesson on how those latches worked when we loaded up at the track yesterday. Everyone was accounted for and with the rest of the team for the duration of the evening. We didn't touch those clips.

It was probably just drunk fumbling around, as nothing's broken (nothing still on the car, at least), but this isn't cool. We can't afford this E36 M3. We're out $1K now.

Could some one have been trying to steel it and they were interrupted part way through? If it was a GRM related person / prank gone wrong I am sure that they will make things rite.

That sucks Jake!!!!

Let us know if we can help from Dallas.

Costas

cars and such...

That sucks man, hope it gets figured out.

That gotta suck

does anybody really think a GRMer would prank a team or theeve 'em?

fasted58 wrote: That gotta suck does anybody really think a GRAMMar would prank a team or theeve 'em?

Alcohol mixed with youth can some times make you do things that seem like a good idea at the time. Many will not admit it but I am sure that many of us have done things that seemed like a good idea at the time (I know i have) that don't turn out as planed.

It really doesn't look like a prank or theft. The clips pried off make me think someone was just fiddling with the car while drinking.

Regardless, we're now out a substantial amount of money. I don't think we've got $1,000 in our account, so this is probably coming out of our pockets.

I know someone looking for a hardtop to mess with for a project. Would some glass work put it back together?

$1000.. maybe somebody was trying to steal it for their own car?

That seriously sucks.. can you compete without it?

Been there, done that. Slightly embarrassing.

Have a top that left the car - needs glass work, window. In Durango Colorado and not $1000.

I still wouldn't rule out theft man... and almost definitely not a challenger. You should see all the "My hardtop got stolen" threads on clubroadster these days.

We don't need it to compete, our biggest issue is that it wasn't ours. We had to convince a friend nothing would happen to it if she let us borrow it, and, now, well, we'd need a dustpan to get its remains off of I-75.

Have you seen the rescue fund thread? If you'll supply us with a paypal address, I'm guessing you'll find $800 in your bank account fairly quickly.

I take it that "It will buff out" does not apply in this case.

You do realise that there may be someone out there with front end damage to there car looking for the owner of a hard top.

We thought about that, but didn't see anyone stopped or anything. It was mainly trucks on the road that early.

DavidinDurango wrote: Been there, done that. Slightly embarrassing. Have a top that left the car - needs glass work, window. In Durango Colorado and not $1000.

By "not $1000" I mean damned cheap - come and get it (beer money price range)

We were up pretty late messing with the Talon (a few hundred feet from you), I'd say until 2AM. Most of the parking lot was hanging out on my truck/trailer until the cops rolled through for something else. The Sherriff stayed and chilled with us for some time. Nothing unusual happened while we were up. You did have a ton of (nicely stacked) party aftermath by your truck/trailer when I got up at 7AM and went out for a smoke.

fasted58 wrote: That gotta suck does anybody really think a GRMer would prank a team or theeve 'em?

No!! I had 15 to 20 people that I had never met wrenching on our DSM saturday night. Class act guys!

DUMONT wrote: We were up pretty late messing with the Talon (a few hundred feet from you), I'd say until 2AM. Most of the parking lot was hanging out on my truck/trailer until the cops rolled through for something else. The Sherriff stayed and chilled with us for some time. Nothing unusual happened while we were up. You did have a ton of (nicely stacked) party aftermath by your truck/trailer when I got up at 7AM and went out for a smoke.

Right, that was Friday night/Saturday morning. I'm as confused as anyone as to what actually happened. At this point, there's really nothing to be gained by speculating anymore. Someone, somehow, messed with our car, however slightly, maliciously or not, and we lost a hardtop because of it. (Edit: I believe beyond a shadow of a doubt no GRM attendee would ever do anything to another team maliciously. We had overwhelming support through all our issues through the entire Challenge)

And due to the overwhelming generosity of this community, it's not going to put our organization in a financial hard spot.

Fact: hardtop blew off.

Speculation: Someone messed with it.

Stick to the facts.