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| The Studebaker Skytop Registry Other Vehicles with Folding Fabric Sunroofs |
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Other (non-Lark) Studebakers with Sunroofs Over
the years, there have been other Studebakers (i.e., models other than
the 1961 through 1963 Larks) fitted with sunroofs, either by the South
Bend factory, foreign assemblers, or individuals. Of course, as Ed
Reynolds has related, there was a 1960 Lark with a Golde sunroof built
in Engineering which served as the Skytop prototype. There have been a
few other Studebakers with sunroofs (both fabric folding and metal)
over the years, and these are offered here as interesting cousins to
the Skytop cars.'58 Golden Hawk with a Webasto Sunroof, built by the Belgium Studebaker assembler. The last two pictures can be double-clicked to open up larger images:
1953 Starliner with a Skytop, customized in early 1964 by Studebaker Stylist Paul McKeehan. Later model components were used liberally, including the Skytop assembly, '64 Hawk gauges and AM/FM radio, overhead Avanti rocker switches, a black prototype Avanti steering wheel with a Hawk horn button, '64 Hawk front and rear seats, a '64 Lark foot-operated emergency brake pedal assembly, electric window lifts from '55-'58 Studebakers, a '64 Lark firewall-mounted master cylinder, 289 engine/Powershift transmission combo, rear traction/stabilizer bar setup, and '57/'58 springs front and rear. Two pictures of the completed car are shown below, with the second picture taken in front of southern California's The Art Center School of Design of which Paul was an alumnus. Information and the first two pictures are used with permission from Turning Wheels, the Studebaker Drivers Club's monthly publication; the article appeared in the December 2003 issue and was written by, and pictures provided by, Paul McKeehan. The last two pictures are of the same car as it appeared in an eBay ad in early 2006. The many other pictures in the eBay ad left no doubt that this was Paul McKeehan's car, and it looked pretty solid and complete, and with minimal changes. The car did sell, but the current owner is unknown. If you own this car, or know who does, please contact us at webmaster@studebakerskytop.com All four pictures can be double-clicked to open larger images.
According to Richard Quinn, there was also a prewar Studebaker built with a metal sunroof. Hopefully we can obtain details from Richard and provide this information in the near future. |
Fabric folding-type Sunroofs on other US manufacturers'
vehicles: Other Chevrolet: 1972 and 1973 Chevrolet Nova had an optional fabric folding sunroof called the “Skyroof”, or officially the “ Nova History, scroll down
to 1972 & 1973: http://www.novaresource.org/history.htm 1972 Nova factory photo, Skyroof detail: http://www.novaresource.org/history/sunroof01.jpg Another 1972 Nova factory photo, Skyroof detail: http://www.novaresource.org/history/sunroof02.jpg 1972 Nova factory photo, full car view: http://www.novaresource.org/history/72sunroof.jpg 1973 Nova with Skyroof: http://www.novaresource.org/history/73sunroof.jpg Pontiac: From various sources, it appears that the Skyroof was optional on the Pontiac Ventura II in 1971 & 1972, and possibly in 1973. If you have information that clarifies the years, please let us know. Following are pictures of a 1971 Pontiac Ventura II Spring (the white with black stripe car) and 1972 Pontiac Ventura II models with Skyroofs:
Buick: For 1972, the Buick Skylark
had an available “Sun Coupe” option, picture here: http://www.hubcapcafe.com/i/2001/all_gm/buic7201.JPG; and a 1972 Sun Coupe picture from a Buick brochure here, with
the top open: http://buicks.net/images/72skylark.jpg Also below are some pictures of 1972 Skylark Sun Coupes:
American Motors: In 1971 and 1972, AMC used
fabric folding sunroof on their small models (Gremlin, Hornet, and Sportabout).
A color AMC ad showing sunroofs on these three models is below:
Another similar ad with text from the www.javelinamx.com site: http://www.javelinamx.com/JavHome/articles/71sunrof.jpg A 1972 Gremlin factory photo showing a sunroof is here:
Chrysler: |
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Sunroofs on foreign manufacturers' vehicles: A Jaguar sliding roof link is at: http://www.jcna.com/library/tech/tech0027.html, which mentions the Golde sunroof, plus a similar unit by the name of Webasto. Close-up pictures of Webasto fabric folding sunroofs can be found on the 56-59 Karmann Ghia Registry at: http://karmannghias.org/Webasto.htm The basic construction is quite similar to the Golde fabric folding sunroofs. The Webasto name is still used for sunroofs, here: http://www.webastoshowroom.com/index.html.
In addition to the Beetle, the Volkswagen Type 2 Transporter ('Bus', or 'Microbus/) was also available with fabric folding sunroofs, starting in 1951 and continuing through 1967 when the second generation Transporter was introduced. Some histories indicate that a Transporter with a sunroof was called a Samba. We have not found a good picture yet! Also, the Volkswagen Karmann-Ghia used Golde metal sliding sunroofs. Examples can be seen at the '56-'59 Karmann Ghia Registry at: http://karmannghias.org/Golde.htm Borgwards also had fabric folding
sunroofs, as seen below, courtesy of Lars Källbom’s Borgward site. According to Lars,
"Borgward used both Golde and Webasto as supplier for the sunroof. I have
in my possession a Golde roof from the scrapped red Isabella TS. I think that
Golde was the prime supplier and it also was dependent on if it was canvas top
or steel sunroofs for Isabella sedans or the coupe."
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Questions or comments? Please contact us at webmaster@studebakerskytop.com