Vinyl roof

[1] This covering was originally designed to give the appearance of a convertible to models with a fixed roof and eventually evolved into a styling statement in its own right.

Vinyl roofs were most popular in the American market, and they are considered one of the period hallmarks of the 1970s domestic cars.

Vinyl roofs were also popular on European- (especially UK-) and Japanese-built cars during the 1970s, and tended to be applied to sporting or luxury trim versions of standard saloon (sedan) models.

[2] The use of vinyl to cover the roofs of regular automobiles was to "give fixed-roof cars some of the flair and appeal of their convertible counterparts.

After World War II, the first example of using a fabric-covered top as a styling element, rather than a functional accessory, was the 1949 Kaiser Virginian.

[9] The fabric was applied over a thin pad with two parallel seams running the length of the roof to mimic the appearance of a convertible model.

By mid-decade, four-door sedans, as well as coupes and station wagons offered by all automakers could be topped with several colorful types of vinyl.

Chrysler briefly produced some patterns, with paisley or floral designs – this was called the "Mod Top" option.

At about that same time, the modern opera window first appeared, and it went so well with a vinyl surround that the two together became emblematic of American body design in the 1970s.

[10] Toyota adopted vinyl roofs for its Corona Mark II, Crown and Century sedans in the mid-1970s, and they could be found on Nissan Laurels, Cedrics, and Glorias.

[citation needed] Not only are they part of the expected style of those vehicles, but they have a practical advantage in covering up the welded body seams that result when standard sedans are stretched to greater length.