Starting in the early to mid-sixties, American automotive “stylists” decided to gild their hardtop models by adding the option of a vinyl covering to the roofs. Eventually, the material made its way onto coupe and sedan models. The trend took different turns with padded vinyl, partial vinyl, and even blatant ersatz convertible roofs complete with fake roof “bows.” The trend faded in the eighties, but has been kept alive by the aftermarket and some car dealers of questionable taste.
There were some interesting applications of the vinyl roof. C2 and early C3 Corvette convertibles were available with vinyl covered removable hardtops. That always seemed ironic to me since the vinyl was meant to mimic the look of a convertible top. In 1969 and 1970, Chrysler corporation offered some outrageous vinyl options like the floral “Mod Top,” “Gator” grain, (bottom two examples above) and even a paisley grain.
On some cars of the late sixties, the vinyl roof works. 1966-1967 GM mid-size hardtops (middle left example above) and 1968-1970 Dodge Chargers have rooflines that work well with a vinyl wrap. My personal opinion is that it can work in terms of the styling history, but from an aesthetic point of view, better to keep the look clean and stick with steel. I’m not gonna lie. My old Challenger had a vinyl roof, but If I were restoring it today, I’d go unoriginal and pull it off.
Remember, if you'd like any of my photos to hang on your wall, visit my store.