It is not in the normal way of things for CARkeys to test a car simply on the basis of an optional extra, but this is a special case. The Streetka is, in standard form, a very appealing little device (see road test), but during its first year of existence there was no hardtop version. That changed early in 2004 when Ford brought out the limited-production Winter Edition, which could be converted from an open-top roadster to a coupé by the addition of a solid glassfibre roof.This hardtop has now become available as a colour-coded accessory for all other Streetkas. It can be fitted to existing models as well as ordered with new ones, and it may well become quite a popular choice, since it has been very neatly styled and adds considerably to the visual appeal. It does, however, add some extra effort to the process of living with a Streetka. This is not one of those coupé-cabriolet devices which you operate simply by pressing a button. To remove the hardtop you first have to get busy with a spanner (supplied), disconnect the wiring to the heated rear window and then physically take off the glassfibre bit yourself - or, rather, with a friend, since it's a two-person job. There is no possible way that the car can carry its own roof unless it's in position, so if you want to drive around with the wind in your hair you have to leave it behind. With the hardtop out of the way, what you're left with is an almost completely normal Streetka, whose standard soft roof can now be raised and lowered in very nearly the conventional manner. The exception is that most Streetkas have a button which raises the cover of the compartment where the soft roof is kept. That operation has been replaced by a manual one to remove the possibility of breaking the hardtop when the cover attempts to spring open. In most coupé-cabriolets there is a definite sense that the roof, when closed, is adding to the structural integrity of the car. That doesn't happen with the Streetka - the moderate amount of scuttle shake is the same whether the hardtop is on or off, and there's a certain amount of creaking and rattling as the area in which the hardtop sits changes shape very slightly over bumps. Altogether it's a fairly cheap-and-cheerful system, but the Streetka looks so good with the hardtop in place that enthusiastic owners will probably reckon it's worth the effort. The hardtop will fit any Streetka and costs £1072.34 on top of the basic price. The first person in the CARkeys office to see a Streetka whose hardtop is of a different colour to the rest of the vehicle will be relieved of coffee-making duties for the rest of the week.
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