EDAG Sportwagon Hardtop - Up Close Look

[HoldHard]

When I found EDAG was within 5 miles of where I work, I shot Matt Remenar an e-mail asking some questions about his new product. Well, this afternoon Matt graciously gave me a personal tour of the Madison Heights facility and I got to sit in the Red Solstice that was developed for the SEMA show.

First Impression:

These guys know what they are doing. The engineering in this is well thought out, the execution is unbelievable and I think EDAG is going to sell TONS of these roofs.

Walking around the car, it looks like a totally different automobile. From the rear quarter view it reminded me of a crouched Cheetah, big tires sticking out of meaty haunches. The roofline "swells" upward ever so slightly from the windshield frame, in a parallel dance with the hood and then tapering gracefully to the rear window. Here, the functionality kicks in. The rear glass hatch opens with a locking pushbutton and grants access to the rear of the car. State-of-the-art gas struts hold it up so you can get to the cargo area.

The Execution:

After a first glance at the website photos, I was under the impression that this would "sit" on top of the car and look like a bad add-on. Man, was I ever wrong!!! It is a fully integrated replacement deck lid that uses the existing mount points.

This is a first class product. It has a Class A surface that looks as good if not better than the hood and door surfaces. When sitting in the passenger seat, the first thing that you notice is the pool table smooth headliner. To the touch, it is velvet soft and cushy. It looks better than most of the production vehicles that I've owned. When you look back through the center of the vehicle, the view brings to mind the custom interior of a Boyd Coddington car.

The weather strips that frame the window openings on the sides and rear are better than those on the convertible top. There are no cuts where the top has to fold. Deep rubber cradles the window glass as it makes contact.

Everything is neat, clean, first-class Original Equipment Manufacturer (OEM) level execution.

The View:

Moving to the drivers seat, several things become immediately apparent. The blind spot on the passenger side is GONE! Seriously.... vanished. Not even a motorcycle could hide there when you swivel you head to the right. The side window gives you complete visibility when moving into that lane. The left side blind spot is significantly reduced as the trailing edge of the "flying buttress" is gone, replaced by glass.

The rearview mirror provides an unobstructed view out the back window, framed by the support struts in their down position. Overall the visibility has been improved in the rearward 180 degrees, one of the sore spots for my 5' 2" wife....

Matt and his crew are aiming to have the new version for the Sky completed for the North American International Auto Show (NAIAS) in downtown Detroit this January. As you can see from the website drawings, it is completely different from what they have brought to life for the Solstice.

This is really, really going to set this car apart from everything else on the road. After you drop this top on, you'll be able to read the lips of people as you cruise by...... They will all be saying the same thing......

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"What is that?"
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This product turns the Solstice / Sky into an awesome one-off custom car.

If this has your interest, here's a link to Matt's side of the story......

HoldHard

[Matt]

HoldHard,
It was a pleasure to meet with you today. I enjoy spending time with people who have a passion for cars. I'm a car nut, so I enjoy this business. I look forward to seeing your Sky RL when it arrives.

All the best!

Cheers,
Matt