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Hey hat aficionados, as you know, we have extended summers here on Maui with the accompanying exposure to the sun. As my build gets closer to completion, I started thinking about what kind of head gear would work well in our cars to protect my thinning pate as well as my neck, ears and nose. 

So, what do you like to wear on your head when driving? Pictures are appreciated!

Mike Pickett

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I have a Tilley's, same style as Ed's hat, but made of wool. It has fold down ear warmers for those cooler days.

Tilleys 1Tilleys 2

I do have another full brimmed Tilley's that I use when I'm kayaking. I'll have to try it and see if it'll take the buffeting of open air motoring. I got that idea from Stan when he was here last year. He rolls with a full brimmed hat to protect his melon.

I usually never use hats, but as my hair keeps on falling out, I've been using them for more and more for sun and cold protection.

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Last edited by Carlos G

 

Fruity02

 

Only @MusbJim could sport such a fruity fedora with aplomb - or even with a plum.

He has years of experience at it and is a professional. It's not for beginners.

Better to ease into Speedster driving with a simple baseball cap. It's cooler (thermally) than the English driving cap, so better suited to tropical climes. But, critically, it has a longer brim - necessary in a car with no visors of its own.

You'll probably be avoiding the midday heat, and when the sun is low, the more eye shade the better.

Unless you're our favorite Guamanian, of course.

The sun never sets on his impish empire.

 

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Gordon Nichols posted:

I have one similar to Ed that I bought on a trip to Ireland, but haven’t yet worn it in the Speedster.  Every baseball cap I have tends to try to blow off at anything over 30mph, so I ended up with a bare-top “surfer hat” like what Jim wears on non-pineapple occasions.  That works great.  Decent visor and it never tries to blow off.

If you get a chance, post a pic for me. Thanks!

DannyP posted:

Yeah. Ask Angela about her half-moon sunburn from her down-the-coast drive from Oregon to California. She's definitely not a fan of the backwards ball cap.

I know what you mean.  I put SPF 50+ on my forehead before I drive.  Carry it in the car.  Worst burns I've had are the bald spot.  At least I've got that covered.  I do turn the cap around at lower speeds.  Not much lower speed driving in the spyder.

 

Wearing a baseball cap in a Speedster, headband tension is critical. And getting the back of the cap far enough down on your head.

As Gordon notes, 30 mph is the make-or-break speed. If the cap stays on through the 30-40 mph transition phase, it will stay on at higher speeds, too.

Porsche knew this and placed warning hash marks on their speedometers for exactly that reason:

Speedo35601

 

 

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Most often I wear a baseball cap and the appropriate amount of sunscreen. I have NEVER had an issue with the cap ever coming off and I've done up to 100mph in my Speedster. At other times I have worn all manner of flat cap styles:

Unknown-6 Baseball cap

Unknown-7 Ascot 

Unknown-8 Newsboy

Unknown-9 Flat Cap/Scally or in the US it's a Driving Cap

I've never had an issue with one of these flying off either. But then again I sit low in the seat do to my 5'9" height and a head large enough to fill up said caps. Wear a proper fitting cap or if it is adjustable tighten up a little and you should have no problems.

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Robert M posted:

Most often I wear a baseball cap and the appropriate amount of sunscreen. I have NEVER had an issue with the cap ever coming off and I've done up to 100mph in my Speedster. At other times I have worn all manner of flat cap styles:

Unknown-6 Baseball cap

Unknown-7 Ascot 

Unknown-8 Newsboy

Unknown-9 Flat Cap/Scally or in the US it's a Driving Cap

I've never had an issue with one of these flying off either. But then again I sit low in the seat do to my 5'9" height and a head large enough to fill up said caps. Wear a proper fitting cap or if it is adjustable tighten up a little and you should have no problems.

Well my issue is that I cannot find one big enough, seriously.  

I doctored the rear tab with velcro to hold it very tight but as it is it does not go on low enough it sits up somewhat like a beany and can blow away.   I guess I have to go back to my TEN  gallon hat . 

Stan Galat posted:
Robert M posted:
356GS posted:

Stan is your passenger mirror mounted on the door or the fender?

 

It's on the door.

It's a mirror image (see what I did there?) of the driver's side-- on the door... although the picture makes it look like it isn't.

I should have written, "It's own the door. Stan doesn't make mistakes with mirror placement, just engine choices.". I kid, I kid.

Baseball caps, truckers caps, fedoras, panamas...all good choices. Keeping them on my head is a challenge because I have a pinhead. Actually it's more of a forceps head. If I was bald all I would need is a brim because the top half of the Stetson is already in place.

I've had better luck keeping my hats on since I installed a windscreen several years ago. However, the slipstream from a big truck can reek havoc with the stay putness of said cap.

I am blessed with a full head of hair but I often wonder why those of you who are challenged follically don't wear a wig? Hell, you could be James Dean for a day! We drive fake cars, why not wear fake hair?

Robert M posted:
Stan doesn't make mistakes with mirror placement, just engine choices.". I kid, I kid.

The mirror placement was Henry's call. The 4289 engines have been all me. Henry and Carey (and pretty much the rest of the western world) seems to have figured out the sweet-spot (a 130-150 hp 2110) for a speedster on modern roads.

I have not.

I don't want much from an engine-- just power like an LS, reliability like an LS, and light weight (like, you know, an LS). I'd like it to look right too, so there's that. I can't for the life of me figure out why it should be so hard to get big V8-like power and long life out of an air-cooled 4-cylinder engine designed for economy in the 1930s. I mean, it's not like it's 2x as big as it was ever meant to be, right?

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