Since we all seem to like to vote AND express an opinion, here be another chance.

Do you like/have a preference/have-have not, the vinyl on the sail panel/"rollbar"?

Personally I have it on my '70 /4, and it came from the factory that way. My car is (factory)canary yellow, and I'm of the opinion that some colors(usually the lighter shades) look better with the vinyl on the roof panels. Similarly, black, Irish Green and dark shades of blue look better w/o the covering.

For those who care, and those who have refinished their '14s, ...vinyl or NO vinyl?

I'm getting rid of mine. I'm also gonna paint the top and bumpers body color.

no vinyl ...

No Vinyl.

My top will be body color, but the BBBs will stay big, and black.

Zach

My white 74 didn't have vinyl, my red, soon to be Jag Racing Green, 72 does not have the vinyl. I like the looks of an all body color car.

A lot depends on the car color. My silver car looked great with the vinyl. My white car looks better without.

Bottom line without

My .02

No Just one more place for rust to hide.

And i think it looks better? Robert

I like paint better than vinyl.

I think it looks cool but being that I am a minimalist at heart I wouldn't putit on.

I was always a fan of the vinyl, never thought I liked the look without it.

Until I bought one without it. Got used to it, like it, and left the vinyl off during the restoration. Looks better to me, at least on a black car.

On the lighter colored cars . . . closer call. The black vinyl, along with the black rockers and valences on the lighter colored cars, does tend to make the car look lower, longer and sleeker.

Where's the poll?

I generally prefer them without. Has anybody considered adding an opera window to complete the period theme?

Olav,
I thot I set up a "poll" w/ Yes-No, and "color" selections but it didn't work. I obviously did something wrong

Zoom,
Yes, yes, and don't forget the functional "opera" lights as well

I did mine in white vinyl a while back.

You don't really notice it until you are right on it.


KT

No vinyl for me thanks. I think it "dates" what is otherwise a very timelessly styled vehicle. How many of us have had strangers ask whether the car was a new model or not?

no vinyl and no chrome trim.....no badges.

BUTT, I like the vinyl side graphics....

New look, vinyl stayed. ( Even at speed. )

I lost the vinyl a long time ago.

I don't care for the stock black vinyl much.


KT

I say replace the vinyl with fur! Just my .02 cents

I like the Vinyl on mine..

I like the vinyl, especially on a red, yellow or orange car, mine is Phoenix Red(orange) so I will put it back on whenever I get it painted.

I quit. I am sick and tire of seeing these sweet rides while mine sits on jackstands waiting for bodywork and rust repair. Nice ride!!!!!

No vinyl on my Zambezi green car.......I even have 2 new vinyl sails that I'll sell to anyone that wants them
Paul F.

No vinyl, thank you---body color on the rockers and valences, please
I'll have a drink now, also

I like it either way. You do have to keep an eye on possible rust, but as long as you're aware of the issue, that's enough.

I've seen some classy with-vinyl car.

Hey that's pretty cool. Can you get orange vinyl?

Interesting topic as I just finished installing the vinyl on my car. It came from the factory with it and it's a '74 2.0 bahia red.... But I definately agree with others, it depends on the individual and the color changes/enhancements on the car, ie, painted bumpers, rocker panels, etc...

-- Rob

Whatdya want?

Depends..... Period correct concourse?

Otherwise (my humble opinion) remove the vinyl, shave steel lips, (no al-le-men-u-im), weld up the gaps, bondo smoothing if necessary (controversy-aside - plug in your correct fusion here) and........


....

Totally depends on your welding and body-work skills.

IMHO: Eliminate as much vinyl and aluminum trim as possible. Weld, shave, trim, smooth, ..............

how do you do the edges of the sail panels when you don't use the trim? Anyone have pics?

I like the VINYL.... It's what separates us from.....THIS

For the goth look, vinyl and a fake chrome soft top spring; for the speed, no vinyl and lots of stickers.


Goth is in in a creepy wierd sort of way.

In my opinion, the lines of the car are not as good when the sail panel is the same color as the body. The long gently curving line that runs the length of the body is a big part of the low, wide purposeful stance the car has. The roof then reads separately as something other than the body and it has a more upright expression. The jont between sail panel and body looks odd, to me, without a color or material change. The early '73 vinyl 'A' pillar probably came from someone's idea to take the concept one step further.

So I dig it in theory, but the fact that it is vinyl is questionable. Anyone paint the sail panel black on a non-black car? I wonder what that looks like?

My 72 is saturn yellow, it came from the factory with out it and I think it looks

great. For a long time I didn't see another with out it, but I was never tempted

to add it on.

Badges yes, vinyl no. Sorry had to get that in...

No vinyl

Smooth, shiney, no trim, no holes, no rust

Whall sure....thought you'd never ask
It takes some doin'.

Better close up.

Yep, chrome hood badge, chrome fuel door, chrome bumpers, mirrors, trim, side script, chrome engine grille letters, polished spoke Fuchs, ghost rear reflector, big sound system with subs, 400hp turbocharged 3.1 twinplug engine and VINYL......

I left the vinyl on mine. I just got the roof back from the body shop and it looks great. More pics later.
Elliot

I've always like the vinyl on 914's but liked the 911 coupes better than the 911 targas.

Honestly I like 914's with and without the vinyl, and the little chrome sail panel trim on the bottem without the vinyl looks good too.

I was thinking of mounting the vinyl onto some sheet magnet material so that you could have it on or off. If you still left overhang and tucked the vinyl under the trim pieces it might work.

I like the look of vinyl because of the contrast. But instead of vinyl I was thinking
of having Line-X bed liner sprayed on the sails and the top. That way I won't
have to worry about rust or shinkage.

I'm with the minority. I like the vinyl.

My first Had it and I liked it but, my second is with out, and I think I like it better! You know what they say. "Once your in the raw it hard to go back" No vinyl for me, I decided, I like mine stripped!

no vinyl.

and now, from the sublime to the ridiculous...

i thought about this because i love the le look. i'd keep the chrome bits to define the lines.

flame on~Click to view attachment

I like the vinyl look, but (IMHO) if you lose the vinyl than you have to smooth and color match the top.

Seriously, why go vinal when one can have Corithian Leathour...

Click to view attachment

Thank you Ricardo Montalban

Agree.

If it was there to start with - leave it there. I'll be the first to say I like it & think the lighter colors look disjointed without it. Besides it's Factory.