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So, back in the day, when they were new, just a handful of 944/968s made it to the US with the sunroof delete. I wondered, what is the reason a new owner would want this?
Money? Did you get the car cheaper without the sunroof?
Weight? If you are going to race, did not having the sunroof and the related equipment cut down that much on the weight?
Structural Rigidity? Again, to race, did not having the sunroof make the body firmer?
Looks? They liked the clean roofline?
iirc sunroof delete was an option, however it's a misconception that the no sunroof option made the car stiffer or lighter. The cars with sunroofs had better bodywork stiffness due to the added strengthening around the opening and the perceived added weight on the sunroof cars was negated by the glass fibre sunroof.
There is no performance advantage for no sunroof so I guess it was a matter of personal preference.
My first 951 was a sunroof delete. I was told this saved 43 lbs at the top of the car, and added about 1 inch if head room.
Also was told some inadverdantly deleted the sunroof when ordering. The sunroof was standard, so checking the sunroof box caused the sunroof to be deleted.
I didnt want a sunroof car but glad I ended up with one. With the panel out I can easily weld the roll cage joints all the way around. I just ripped out all the plastic hardware and bolted the panel secure. Now that its all built I was thinking of cutting a section of roof out of a junk car and panel adheasive it down to my roof. No need for sunroof drains!
i wish my car were a sunroof delete.
Maybe the next time it needs paint I'll consider the conversion but hopefully that won't be for ten or more years.
Sunroofs can leak, take away 1-2 inches of headroom, and I don't ever really use it despite living in sunshine beach country. It's probably been at least a year since I even opened the roof. Headroom isn't an issue for anyone under probably 6'2 but for those of us well over that it's at a premium and the sunroof takes it away.
I am passively new car shopping and whatever I get will NOT have a sunroof. I just don't want one.
Having just completed a sunroof delete on a 968, I can agree that structure was cut out of the car during the process. However, I doubt that the car has less integrity because the structure that was removed looked to be redundant and not essential to the overall structure of the car. This is all really a mute point if a cage goes back in.
There is definitely more helmet and head room. My next task is to have a headliner installed to take advantage of the additional headroom.
Best part? no leaking, no motors, no gears, no clogged drain tubes, no noise, seals full of wax residue etc.
Jeff, I think that Porsche was "optioning up" the US cars and buyers were lookig for more luxury and less utility. Why buy a $50,000 car and no sunshine?
My first 951 was an '86 non-sunroof, non-cruise control, non-rear wiper, non-security car. I loved the looks of the solid roof skin and the scarcity of such a car.
My current 951 has a sunroof, and at ~6'2", it's fairly close, but doable with the Sport seats adjusted for a low seating position. I never even thought about headroom in the non-sunroof car, as it wasn't close enough to notice. Admittedly, the sunroof isn't nearly as much of an eyesore as I thought it would be (I can be picky about little stuff like that), and I have popped it up a couple of times just because I can. I don't mind it one bit!
And I believe that Gene is correct about Porsche sending over as many cars as they could with at least a sunroof and cruise control. BMW did the same thing around that era, and I'm sure many other manufacturers did, as well.
I purchased a new 87 Scirocco w/o sunroof because my 84 Scirocco with sunroof still leaked after the dealer "fixed" it for a second time. The new DOHC 16V engine along with suspension and brake and wheel upgrades may have influenced my decision somewhat on that rainy day However, it didn't take long to miss it on sunny days. Next 3 VWs had sunroofs and current Ford Escape has one too. All 3 of my 944s have had sunroofs thank goodness. Don't know about the 944 but my sunroofless Scirocco definitely had more headroom (I could wear a hat) then the sunroofed Scirocco.
Last edited by jhowell371; 02-01-2015 at 06:10 PM.
Reason: correction
The thing is, we have moonroofs. If we had sunroofs, we'd have the headroom. I have a saratoga top. It has more headroom than the stock moonroof.
[rant]wtf moonroof! I had to google that term, must be an American acronism. Dear god must we make up words for everything when the one we have will suffice. It's a damn sunroof, the whole world outside the USA calls it a sunroof! Take the f#cking thing off and the sun comes in![/rant]
Extra stiffness you might argue, but the "glassfibre" sunroof *not* light the way it's built. It is 20 lbs itself, + added structure around the hole. All this weight is up high.
The big sunroof is nice, and I enjoyed it in my street 944, but for a track car, it's a disadvantage. Fortunately, removing the big fiberglass lump, and replceting it with something lighter solves most of the problem.
Slightly off topic but I find that I open my sunroof more at night than I do during the day. Maybe that's where the term moonroof comes from. (No actually, I think it just means you can look up and see the moon. And I think moonroofs tend to be a fixed piece of glass) In North Carolina, the last thing I want is the hot sun beating down on my poor bald head. But at night in the summer it is quite refreshing to drive around with it open. And on longer trips, the air on my head helps keep me awake. Even on a cold night, I like to pop open the sunroof and turn the heater up!
02-01-2015, 10:32 AM
Sunroof delete, why?
However, it didn't take long to miss it on sunny days. Next 3 VWs had sunroofs and current Ford Escape has one too. All 3 of my 944s have had sunroofs thank goodness. Don't know about the 944 but my sunroofless Scirocco definitely had more headroom (I could wear a hat) then the sunroofed Scirocco.
