Hi all. I know it has been discussed before a few years ago and I tried to look it up in the search function but without much success. My question is: How can I get a good solution? I know it has been retrofitted to at least one 550. It would be great to see that car and how it is done and also get the owner’s experience after a few years. I have had several convertibles, and I tend to have a love/hate relationship with convertibles for several reasons. Mostly because it blows too much wind at highway speeds and in Norway there are so many tunnels and trucks that it makes it impossible to travel with the roof down while on the roads. Also in the evening it can be quite cold. A sunroof is kind of something in between. One this is for sure. I will not sell my 550 in a long time. But I must say I really miss to have some more light and fresh air inside the car. AC is not the same as fresh air and sun from the sky, even if it is what you need when the temp is high. I am also looking at it as something that can make my ownership of the car something a bit more «interesting» and the car more unique. I have 100% confidence in travelling with the car because of its reliability and great handling, and that means I still want to take it to new places. However, I miss being able to look up and out of the car. It is small inside. Which is both good and bad. Sometimes it is great to have a closed roof and at the same time have some light in. Today I watched my favourite you YouTube channel Harry’s Garage, where he takes his Lotus Esprite to Austria from the UK. The car is quite tight inside, but it has a big glass roof which seems to be possible to tilt up with a simple handle at the rear edge. He also point out how great it is to have that roof as he can look up at the alps and see the world. When thinking of a roof, there are several different ways already done by car and roof manufacturers...... 1) Full metal closed roof as original. 2) Moonroof. Fixed glass/lexan roof. Harry’s Espada have this custom build and it is brilliant according to him. 3) Targa roof like on a 348 Targa. It makes the car like a «cabriolet» but still rear windscreen and side windows etc. This also have to be taken manually off and on, and be stored in the trunk. Not very practical, but I believe it is actually space enough for it in the trunk. Just not very practical when you travel and the trunk is full of bags. Or even an outboard motor like Harry has in his Testarossa 4) Sliding sunroof. This require the roof to slide into the rear part of the roof. I believe it is done like that on a 550 before, but the sliding part and opening becomes quite small since the roof is so small in the first place. This also make the head room less. When I sit comfortably in my car. I have about 5 cm from the top of my head to the underside of the roof. 5) A flip-up roof that only tilt up at the rear edge. This is the typically aftermarket add-on that was retrofitted to many cars in the 80-ies. Not really a pro solution I guess. However, the Espirit looks to be like that, but as a factory installed thing and it is quite big too. That should make the opening roof big, but not a fully open roof. 6) Folding roof like on a Fiat 500. This is actually a quite interesting way that seems to make the opening big, but then again with a few downsides like the fact that it becomes a «spoiler» at the rear and that it will become a roof with no shiny finish or no light in when closed, as the roof is s type of vinyl/fabric. I am also a bit concearned how this will work at high speeds. And water intrusion. It might slo be easier to cut it open and steal the car. I know that 95% of you will say keep it stock. And I agree on that for several reasons. But I want to check which options could be possible for a custom solution, and what it will cost to have it fitted. I just imagine cruising on a summer evening and see and listen to the sound of the car party from the outside and other sounds of the surrounding nature. It is a bit tenpting. And the cabin will have more natural lightning. What do YOU think of this matter? Erik Image Unavailable, Please Login
Buy a manual super America Buy a 612 OTO with a glass roof Don’t cut the roof on the 550 You asked.... [emoji482] Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
Erik, Most manufacturers buy in their sunroof/panoramic roof systems rather than manufacturing in house. The Panoramic roof fitted in my Audi I'm pretty sure is Webasto. https://www.webasto-comfort.com/int/product-overview/#!Car I like glass roofs but I'm less bothered about them actually opening. I used to own a mercedes 560SEC and would like to have had a glass roof fitted in that to replace the awful sliding metal factory sunroof which constantly leaked. My father wrote the car off when I leant it to him for a few weeks so it never happened. Probably worth starting there. It's all about finding a product the suits the profile of the roof.
I dislike sunroofs so much that in 1978 when I wanted to buy the then new Porsche 911SC I couldn't find one anywhere in the US so I had to get a Factory delivery, which turned out to be a "good' thing as I was able to do a three day driving school at the Nürburgring at the same time. Had a MB 300SD that had one but the only time I ever opened it was in a rain storm, pouring down rain but not a drop came in the car as long as I kept it over 60 MPH. That was fun looking up at the rain coming down and not getting wet.
If you must . . . The traditional "webasto" roof will give you the largest opening, but significant wind noise issues at high speed, both open and closed. Harry's Espada looks great, but I imagine there are serious solar gain issues and you don't get the fresh air because it doesn't open. The electric sliding roof is a good solution and while the opening may be small, it is not insignificant. I had one on my 911 and used it a lot. Plus the sliding panel could be glass, if you want that ingress of light when it is closed, though there could be headroom problems if you also want a sliding sunshade to deal with solar gain (as per the installation on my Merc DD - though I should add that I rarely use it - the sunshade that is, I use the opening roof a lot). Not sure how feasible it would be, but the Porsche 993 targa had a very large glass sunroof that sild down below the rear screen. Image Unavailable, Please Login How about a lift-out glass panel that could be stowed on the shelf behind the seats, so as not to compromise the boot (aka trunk) space? Maybe made of photochromatic glass?
Really it would need to be one of these in a 550 due to the size of the roof. Image Unavailable, Please Login
We took the option Skydome at the Abarth 595 EsseEsse from my wife we ordered in June and got in August. Up to 100 Km/h it's OK, but then the wind noises gets to loud when fully opened. It's dark glas, so you see the sky. I would order it once again. But at a 550 ? Never ! Daniel Image Unavailable, Please Login Image Unavailable, Please Login Image Unavailable, Please Login
I like your thinking Erik, make the car the best for your needs. If being able to open the roof is most important, I think a sliding metal panel that pops up and back is the best option. If you just want more light in the cabin and a fixed or sliding glass panel is an option, you may not notice a big difference inside. I have to say that when I drive my FF with a glass roof, I don’t even notice it. Great for the rear passengers, but too far back from the driver to notice while driving. Since you are often in a hot climate with your 550, you should also consider that more hot sunlight from above may be too much for the A/C to handle. I think the best option (if possible) is like the 911 sliding roof. Image Unavailable, Please Login
Having owned an Esprit, I can't really recommend it other than for adding additional light. Unfortunately, as Ryan mentions, that equates to too much heat/glare in the summer, even though the roof was tinted. With the car not moving, you would have engine and exhaust smells drifting into the cabin (the engine was not so musical on the Esprit). Also, in time, the latch mechanism pins would migrate and jam the latches. Also, the Esprit used to rattle a lot. I'm not sure how much of this was due to the decrease in structural integrity because of the added sunroof.
Hi John, and thank you for a most interesting reply. I share the view with you.. the 993 solution is absolutely perfect. I just doubt it can be fitted to a 550 without extencive work, but worth looking into. I will try to find a car like that and have a look at it. Thanks alot.
Hi Alan. I am thinking the same. But it doesn’t really look right when that panel sticks out like that. And it seems like the whole thing stand above the roof when closed. Not very pretty. Except for that it is very functional by giving a big opening and glass roof when closed letting light come in! Erik
Thanks Ryan. Yes you are right about the heat/light thing. Better AC is always welcome. Now after I upgraded the fans, and can actually set the AC to max And have even better cooling of the condenser than before when I had to turn the heater on after a while, it should be sufficient. But a fan speed position between 3 and 4 would be great. Must be possible to make... After looking at the alternatives, I find a solution where a tinted glass could slide gown and back inside the car would be the best for having a big opening and getting natural lightning in. Possibly with the addition of a sun blind that can be pulled forward. There are many cars like that. I wonder which method would be the most clever to use for actually installing it in the car. Do we have some pictures of the 550 that do have a sunroof? I know I have seen it here on Fchat some yours ago. Thanks a lot for all your valuable inputs on the topic. If some investigation leads to a really good and fairly inexpencive way to add one and it becomes successful, the modification could be done to several cars... The question is in what way will it affect the strength of the roof and will it make corrotion problems to the body. That would be a catasteophy. I wash my car all the time and moist should not enter the car in any way. Happy new year. Erik
I think sliding down and inside like the 993 Targa will be very difficult and requires a lot of work inside the car. You need tracks running down the sides of the rear glass inside the car and you’d loose headroom. I think it could get ugly inside. A glass panel up and out is better, leave the interior as is. Porsche 991, up and over the rear glass. Image Unavailable, Please Login
not a big fan of sunroofs. They're quite nice when driving through town or low speed twisties but as soon as you go over 100kph the noise is a pain in the ass. Certainly not worth the expense and time invested for just low speed driving....
For the costs associated with doing this properly and taking into account the destruction of value of the car itself, you may as well sell the car and pony up for a Barchetta or Superamerica
The 360 had a factory optional sunroof, quite a rare option. You might look at that and see if it matches what you want. The Rarest Ferrari 360 Modena Has a Pop-Out Sunroof (roadandtrack.com) Image Unavailable, Please Login Image Unavailable, Please Login
Doesn't the 550's roof form part of the car's structural system? I believe the windshield is too. If a sizeable hole is cut into the roof I'd think that some structural framing would be needed to compensate for the lost rigidity, no?
Probably yes.... but the roof is completely flat inside and I dob’t think there is any braces going across it except at the front and rear section. So it might be strong enough. i have been looking at 993s here now. The Carrera has a small sunroof in steel and slides in at the rear half If the roof. The Targa has a much bigger one like stated previously, the roof goes down and on rails fitted at the inside of the C-pillar. That is probably a good solution, but is also difficult to fit. More importantly, the rear windscreen is much bigger on a Maranello, and then the roof would be stopping «half way» along the rear screen. Not at all very pretty. The std. system on the Carrera seem more likely to be possible to add to the Ferrari. And the roof panel that you cut out might aswell fit onto the Porsche mechanism. And the size of the 993 roof seems to be quite similar to the small 550/575 roof too. But then again, there is no glass roof, and to fabricate one with the same profile as the original roof will be super expencive. A rear top sliding glass roof might be the mest solution in the end. I am just not sure if I like the looks of it or not when it is open. Thanks alot for the input from you great guys!! Will look more into it for sure.
If you really want to do this then the Webasto options in Alan's link are the only ones that make sense and are likely to be a reasonable cost whereas any kind of bespoke solution would be vastly more. Certainly anything that threatens the structural integrity of the car would require considerable expense to reinforce the chassis.
Thanks Taz. I have never seen one like that. When studying the various types, it actually makes sence when you see this one on the 360 because the roof is so small. With this solution, the opening becomes quite big and at the same time there are no extra stuff spoiling the design of the car. Only downside is of course that you need to store it somewhere. It could either be stored in the trunk (boooot in proper British), on the shelf or maybe behind the passenger seat in an upright position. Where could I get more info on this type of hatch? I kind of like the design aswell. Erik
Erik- On the 360 it fits behind the seats (picture above) and there is plenty of room there in the Maranellos, too. I keep a windshield sun blocker back there now. Not sure who built it, but likely not Ferrari. You might ask Webasco as they are the most likely culprits. Good news is you might actually be able to use the piece you cut out of the roof as the top. Whatever you do, it is going to be very expensive. All the parts for the 360 sunroof are still available from Ferrari, from what I can see. Quite a chunk of change for all. Option was around $3500 in 2004.
https://www.eurospares.co.uk/parts/ferrari/360-modena/bodywork-lighting/removable-top-40707 Image Unavailable, Please Login
