Sean

I recently saw one of the infamous "Saratoga Tops" for sale in mint condition for what seemed a reasonable price ($375). But the seller noted that the top was only for MANUAL 944 sunroofs - not for electric. Alas! I have a quasi-electric sunroof (at the push of a button, it pops open like a vent).

So my questions are....did they make 2 kinds of Saratoga Top (manual & electric)? And if so, would it be possible to use a manual Saratgoa Top in an electric sunroof car? I am more interested in having the targa-style moonroof than in using the electric vent mechanism.

Anyone got a Saratoga Top they want to sell? Or any advice on finding one of these at a good price? A high quality moonroof top would be especially welcome in summertime.

Gerald Allgire

I have one of these tops. It's missing a small piece of harware. I'm making a new part. My top is electric. My Saratoga top is bronze color. Looks nice on my Champagne 84.

Jax951

To answer your first question, YES they made 2 different types - one for manual, one for electric. I've seen them on ebay from time to time, and they always fetch a pretty penny. I'd love to have one, but that's almost half the price of a new turbo!

xcessiv

I can't see how you could use a manual in an electric, the rear lacthes on a manual are completely different from the electric's lifting arms. The manual clips in while the electric has the arms with the guides in the roof.

Sean

Cool - I don't feel so bad about missing out on the last one. The seller stated that he THOUGHT you could fit a manual Saratoga Top on an electric sunroof car, but the electric functionality would simply not work. However, I'd rather hold out for a quality electric sunroof than take a chance on a manual one.

A few months ago there was talk of someone making an aftermarket top. I guess this did not pan out?

Tremelune

What are these things? Anyone know of any pictures?

Sean

Here are some (blurry) photos of one that recently sold on eBay. The Saratoga Top is basically a replacement sunroof for the 944/924. Instead of being a solid painted sunroof, it's tinted glass (plexiglass?) so it allows some sunlight into the interior always.

I think that this would really brighten the interior of a 944. The 944 sunroof is so large, it's almost Targa proportions!

The only downside that I have heard about Saratoga tops? They were manufactured for Porsche by a third party, and the fit simply is not as solid as OEM. So some of these tops may rattle/whistle at high speeds. But apparently many people are pleased with their tops, so they don't all rattle.

xcessiv

Personally, I think it would be sweet to have, you could probably make one except I think it would be realy hard to make the internal actuator tracks for the electric. Retrofitting a manual would be a bad thing I think, they may not be the same size, it is hard to say without actually measuring them.

Gerald Allgire

"(plexiglass?)"

Mine is real glass and fairly heavy. The fit is excellent and is as good as any OEM part. It also has it's own nice storage bag. It does really brighten up the interior. The weird part is that it seems like a sun roof for the back seat because it's so far back and so large.

Robby

[quote]Originally posted by Gerald Allgire:
<strong>[b]
The weird part is that it seems like a sun roof for the back seat because it's so far back and so large.</strong><hr></blockquote>

I've been saying this since I bought my car- it's the part i hate the most about these cars- you really have to be one tall SOB to be able to enjoy these SR's- i'm 5'9" and I need to be about 6" further back to make it really feel nice. I'm trying to get several people to help me make some sort of pedal blocks (or pedal covers, like the Momo's or something that are really thick) to get me back in the car a little further- i'm thinking ~2" AND I'd need to get the steering wheel back about 1" to 1.5"- maybe some sort of spacer for my Momo? Any ideas here? BTW- dark tinted Lexan is what they should have used from the factory IMO- it would have reduced the weight immensely...

***A few months ago there was talk of someone making an aftermarket top. I guess this did not pan out?***

That was TaboII- I e-mailed him about it about a month ago and he never responded- I would like to know what happened w/that. He didn't want to use Lexan though- some guy that was helping him w/it got him to believe that it would only remove about 2 - 3lbs from the weight of glass Obvioulsy, if this were true, going to a Lexan rear hatch would only remove about 8 - 10lbs instead of 67+...

Oh well.....