Once upon a time ... the vinyl roof
12/13/2013
You'd probably be amazed if you were browsing through a price list for passenger cars today and came across a "vinyl roof" surcharge option. Long gone? Well, not that long either.
Back in the mid-seventies, the vinyl roof was still available for the Audi 80 for a cash price and promised to "give your car a particularly sporty touch".
The Volvo 262 C Coupéfrom 1977 (pictured above) even had a vinyl roof as standard and the Ford Granadacost 390 francs extra in Switzerland in 1974 (see price list). The Austin Princess was still available with the dark plastic upholstery at the end of the seventies, the Granada and the Audi 80 even longer. The contrasting vinyl-covered roofs were particularly popular with British car brands; Bentley, Rolls-Royce, Jensen and even TVR offered this extra and customers bought them.
But then this fad, which had started in the sixties, died out and today a vinyl roof is a source of annoyance for some restorers because the material is not easily available and the workmanship is not without its problems. But looking back, a vinyl roof can look quite chic ...
