Vinyl roof
The vinyl roof is a design feature in automotive engineering . In the 1960s and 1970s in particular, it was a feature of various sedans and coupes . The vinyl roof was particularly popular in the USA and was offered as an option on the German market mainly by Ford and Opel ; individual models (such as the Opel Diplomat ) had a vinyl roof as standard in certain years of construction. The vinyl roof consists of a normally painted sheet metal roof, which is covered with a structured plastic film ( vinyl ). The most common color is black. However, roofs in white, red, blue, brown and green were often also produced. All other colors are also conceivable, since polyvinyl chloride can be colored as desired with appropriate industrial pigments.
It followed the two-tone paintwork that was previously commercially available and disappeared from the market in the mid-1960s due to its production-related complexity.
The vinyl roof, however, very often caused annoyance among the owners in later years because the edges were peeling off. These vehicles could then appear very unsightly. Another annoyance was the excessive heating of the vinyl roof in summer weather. The effects of temperature changes caused increased problems, especially on roofs that had additional edges with sunroof cutouts.
Vinyl covers were hardly offered in Europe from the mid-1970s. One of the last vehicles in Europe with the vinyl roof option was the Ford Granada , which could be ordered until 1980. Until 1984 it was still possible with the Audi 80 . In the US, vinyl roofs were still available until the late 1980s. Lincoln did not discontinue its vinyl roofs until the Mark VII appeared in 1984. Cadillac didn't end its vinyl roof option until the deVille in 1993.
For a long time it was not easy to restore an older vehicle equipped with a vinyl roof in a professional and original way, so that many vinyl roofs were removed and the vehicles were also painted in the vehicle color in the course of a restoration . In the meantime, however, both the upholstery materials and the adhesive chemicals are readily available again and for some vehicles, especially those of the Opel and Ford brands, the vinyl roofs are even completely prefabricated for self-assembly.
Landau Roof
The Landau roof is a special form of the vinyl roof on automobiles. With this shape, only the rear part of the roof area is covered with a vinyl layer.
This shape was found on some US luxury vehicles from the late 1960s to the early 1980s. The effect of a “classic” split roof should enhance the appearance of the vehicles. As a retro element, the associated idea was based on historical vehicles with separate roof structures for the driver and passengers. This could be expressed either by a driver sitting outdoors and passengers protected by a folding top or fixed roof structure ( Coupé de Ville ) or with a fixed roof for the driver and a folding roof for the passengers ( landaulet ). The name for this roof shape is originally derived from the Landau carriage, which could be driven open or closed thanks to a roof that could be divided in the middle.
