Another question from a CS rookie. My 1974 3.0 CSA is fjord blue with a darker blue vinyl roof. BMW have told me that the cars didn't leave the factory with vinyl roofs, therefore, I'm assuming mine was fitted by BMW concessionaires in the UK presumably due to local fashion. Does anyone know if this is the case?
Vinyl Roofs - only in the UK?
- Thread starter paulbuk
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would you post i pac im interested in seein it
worst case- call sms fabric in oregon they can match and remake
would you post i pac im interested in seein it
worst case- call sms fabric in oregon they can match and remake
Simufly
Well-Known Member
vinyl roofs
The answer is yes.
The UK concessionaires were left with many unsold e9s. They decided to update them with a vinyl roof which was a short lived fad in the mid 70s. Blue was a popular choice particularly with chamonix paint and was allegedly used as a nod to the then BMW motor sport colours.
The answer is yes.
The UK concessionaires were left with many unsold e9s. They decided to update them with a vinyl roof which was a short lived fad in the mid 70s. Blue was a popular choice particularly with chamonix paint and was allegedly used as a nod to the then BMW motor sport colours.
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Yes, this was exactly the case. Thankfully, no US imported CS coupes (nor any other markets) were outfitted with the vinyl roofs :confused:. Actually during the late 1960's through the mid 70's, quite a few American cars had vinyl clad roofs.
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Definitely looks sexier than my grandfather's Buick.
I can just imagine an otherwise beautiful E9 in SoCal with a split-vinyl roof. Thanks for all the info, it's very useful to know that. My vinyl roof is in pretty poor shape, I like it but won't renew it completely until I repaint the car which is a year or two off. I'll try SMS Fabric and see what they can offer but in the meantime I was thinking of spraying the vinyl to give it more colour. I'll get the car out of it's winter slumber at the weekend and take some pictures so you can see what I mean.
That's a fine car you have there Bert. The Vinyl roof and the 16" Alpinas look great. Very sporty ...
Aussiecsi
Well-Known Member
Bert just needs a cravat and velvet jacket ..oh wait :lol:
I really like my vinyl roof, but the windscreen is leaking pretty badly. Forgetting about the aesthetics for a minute (I know the majority despise them !) but does anyone know if it is possible to get a proper seal ?? I need a respray and don't really want to remove the roof as it's in good condition, but if I really have to I will.
My first coupe was 1974 fjord with a dark blue vinyl roof. I am in now way a vinyl top kind of guy, but have to say the combo really looked nice as the pictures below demonstrate. I am not sure if the dealer installed the vinyl roof or one of the previous owners had it done at an independent shop, but there was at least one U.S. coupe with a vinyl top at one point.
I am in no position to disagree with your UK vinyl assessment, since the majority of those few vinyl'd E9s seem to be right hand drivers. Considering the relative scarcity of E9s and E3s, any two similar vehicles might arguably establish a bonafide trend.
I distinctly recall, years ago, having seen a left hand drive, black E3 with a black vinyl roof outside of a US Airport. It may have had diplomatic tags. I also vaguely recall seeing a yellow (not golf) left hand drive E9 with a dark vinyl roof on the interstate in the Southwest US. Since the addition of a vinyl roof covering is a "relatively" simple procedure, it could have been for two-tone cosmetic appeal (taste being in the eye of the beholder), or as a cover-up for hail damage, rust or some other cosmetic blunder.
Most of us have probably witnessed many other E3 and E9 eccentricities. I am pretty sure I have seen a lowrider E3, an E9 with wire wheels (Dunlop?), an E9 or E3 with odd rectangular forward lighting from ??, and an E3 with a rear spoiler that might make even a Plymouth Superbird blush. (The Bavaria's trunk spoiler looked like it could substitute as a scaffold for second-story work.;-))
Gratuitous pics from Süd Afrika: https://drive-my.com/top-blogi/entry/collection-of-bmw-e9-cs-coupes-from-south-africa.html
And Oakland, CA. http://californiastreets.blogspot.com/2014/04/oakland-street-sighting-1967-bmw-2000cs.html
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