I have always been intrigued with folding fabric sunroofs. These roofs are most often seen on a European make, like VW. Studebaker Larks of the early '60's had a "Skytop" option. AMC offered them on every Hornet-based car in their lineup...dig that Sportabout! In 1972, Buick came out with the SunCoupe... I came across this company that makes these cool sunroofs in any size you could ever need: http://www.slidingragtops.com/ Check these wagons with their entire roofs opened up! I even thought I might put one on my '72 Buick wagon, like on the '72 SunCoupe, making it a '72 Buick Estate Wagon Limited SunCoupe! David
I tried to convince my GF to drive a SunCoupe and buy one (she refused: too small ) Was surprised to see how much parts there are involved in this piece of 'reinforced vinyl':
Downsides: - Increased wind noise - Less effective HVAC - Weathering of top material - would probably last only 10-15 years at most - Security concerns - break-in easier? What's the cost of the conversion? Wonder how it compares with installing an aftermarket electric moonroof?
I had one of these sunroofs on a Rover Mini years ago, it was excellent as it provided a much larger opening than a typical sunroof. The manufacturer was Webasto, here is there site in the US. http://www.webasto.us/home/en/homepage.html
I really like this idea, but I'm having flashbacks to sawing the roof off of my 6 week old Ford Ranger to make it into a convertible. It turned out to be a leaking nightmare, and ultimately I ended up welding the roof back on (less a 2" chop...couldn't leave it stock after all that...)....
