The Webasto Sun Roof

A complaint still voiced by many people is of the lack of interest shown by manufacturers in the sun roof. Very popular before the War they have gone right out of fashion and to obtain one for most cars it is necessary to purchase one of the proprietary models, such as the Webasto.

To assess the worth of the Webasto sun roof we recently took over for a few days a Ford Zephyr which had been so converted. The first impression is of the size of the sun roof which stretches practically the full length of the roof. Unlike most sun roofs which are an integral part of a car and are usually of the metal sliding type, the Webasto features a soft folding top. The material can be supplied to match or contrast with body colours. On the Zephyr with the sun roof in the fully open position, the occupants have nearly all the advantages of the convertible with none of the attendant disadvantages, and as Webasto point out, a saloon with a sun roof is invariably cheaper than a convertible.

The sun roof can be set to intermediate positions and in the fully closed position is fully weatherproof as we discovered during several rainstorms in the Zephyr.

The conversion is not cheap, costing £58 10s. for the B.M.C. Minis, £65 for most other family saloons and proportionately more for larger cars and those requiring more work to carry out the conversion. A conversion for a Rolls-Royce or Bentley will cost £150. Most of the principal motor manufacturers approve of the conversion and the guarantee is not affected in most cases. Most large towns have a fitting agent, details of which can be obtained from the makers, Car-Coverall Ltd., 168 Regent Street, London, W. 1.