I want to get my MTB into the coupe without it being a total PITA (ie. into a bike bag then real struggle to get it onto the back seats)

The bike wont easily fit onto a bike rack due to the frame design (full suss) and I want to use my bike after work - it really needs to fit inside the car (car park at work is very safe, but I wouldnt want to have my expensive bike on show) - this also rules out a roof mounted option

I'm thinking I could remove the solid panel behind the rear seats and replace by welding in a rectangle of box section steel (ie. braces across the top and bottom of where the panel currently sits, with supporting struts at the sides)

With some mods to the seats, hopefully this would enable me to fold the whole rear seats flat....

What do people think?? Coupe breakers, is this possible??

I thought about this before - if they can make a ski hatch, why on earth didn't they design it so both seats can fold flat? The panel surely cannot be 'structural' apart from supporting the back of the seats.

I'd be interested to know how you get on...

The panel is structural; it's providing a lot of diagonal stiffness within the shell of the car, stops it twisting.

I thought it would be structural, hence the rectangle of box section steel, but I'm guessing that probably wont be enough....

The two wheels and rear mech off, use one side of a cardboard bike box on the rear seats.
Sit the frame into a punto boot liner, which keeps the mud and water contained and you can use it to lift the frame in and out of the car.
Put the wheels in then and a dark blue sheet over the bike/wheels, sorted !

I'll post a picture of the set up later, the only way to carry my bike in the boot, is to take the fork and rear shock off

Now that sounds like a plan.....apart from the rear mech off bit (really cant be bothered doing that every time I want to go for an hours ride after work!) - would a chain keeper avoid this by keeping the tension on the mech?

I need to get this sorted or

a) I'll have to borrow the gf's Golf a lot more, which means she drives my coupe through every pothole in the road to a busy supermarket and parks up next to a people carrier full of kids

b) I get a large loan and buy an Audi RS2

Or not, as the case may be.

How about the Astra shed for sale on here - hatchback, and you wouldn't even worry about the dirt

Isn't the coupe bassed on the Tipo floor pan? Pretty sure they had fold down back seats and a big hatchback. Just wondered if they had addtional structural bits?

I have thought about that, drawbacks are

1) additonal cost of tax, insurance and maintenance
2) I'll have an Astra shed parked outside my house
3) the gf will realise the only reason I've got the Astra shed is so I dont have to borrow her golf, resulting in the aforementioned trip to supermarket, potholes and parking next to people carriers

Having just looked at the Astra advert, its not such a shed, but with only one off road parking space and two cars already, I've really got nowhere to park it....

Here's my set up for carrying the bike in a Coupé, on roadtrips or holiday when I'm taking the car.
I use my Pug Partner van the rest of the time.

Cardboard bike box
Punto boot liner
I take off the rear mech for a bit more room.
You can lift the bike into and out of the car with the liner Keeps any mud on the liner and as little as possible in the car.

You don't have to take the rear mech off, I find taking it off helps for putting into and out of the car, but that would depend of the lenght of the wheelbase of the bike.

I also put another piece of cardboard from the bike box under the chainrings along with an old rag to stop it cutting into the seats.
I throw an old navy blue sheet over the bike, you'd hardly notice the bike in the car, especially after dark.

RS2?

is that something new i've no heard of or do you mean an S2?

Even better, an RS6 avant

RS2 was an Audi estate from the mid 1990's. It has been seriously tweaked by Porche and is bl**dy quick to say the least. Some people claim it could out accelerate a Maclaren F1 from 0-30mph!

Group buy for all us mountain bikers on the forum perhaps?