mrchris

I've searched around and couldn't find anything that really answers this question for me. I've got some requests for myself and the car to transport beauty pageant winners in some parades. The typical situation where they sit on the rear deck with the top down, feet on the storage cubbies.
Not a big deal to put a blanket down to keep the scuff marks under control. I was just wondering the strength of the rear deck area, basically on the roll bar/surrounding area. It feels adequate for a 120 to 130 lb beauty queen to sit on, but is it? These would all be the typical parade situation of creeping along for 2 miles at a walking pace. I didn't think it was likely a big deal but figured I'd double check before breaking something.

Thanks!

Aussiesuede

The Roll Bar mechanism has to be capable of withstanding the weight of the entire vehicle, so it's certainly robust enough to carry the weight of a human. And for the record, even though it isn't a popular purchase here in the states, rear deck mounted luggage racks are available for the R230. So you can let the beauties saddle up without concern.

Rudeney

Make sure they keep their weight on the roll bar itself. The cover sections between the roll bar and trunk lid that make the "hat shelf" when the rood is closed are NOT designed to support any weight at all.

dvdjames

If you have a look in the manual there are warnings against doing exactly this. I'd imagine your insurance company and the police would have something to say too!

Rudeney

Most parades are escorted by the police, and given that the pace is usually 2-3mph, you'd have to be a Darwin Award winner to get injured doing this. Like several of us have stated, the roll bar is strong enough to support the car, so it would certainly support a few ladies sitting on it.