'72 Sunroof Delete Coupes - Rare or not?

[carsandcapp]

Hi All,

My '72 is a sunroof delete car. It is currently at a nearby shop. The shop owner mentioned to me today that another '72 was just dropped off and it too was also a sunroof delete car. That got me thinking. Was a sunroof delete coupe a fairly common thing back in that era? In comparison, almost every SC and 3.2 Carrera I have seen HAS a sunroof. A sunroof delete coupe of this later era seems to be a rare (and possibly desirable) thing. Thanks in advance for your replies.

[Chuck Miller]

The factory sun roof was an expensive option back then.... Most of the '72 coupes we have listed in our club's data base our non-sunroof...

By the '84 Carreras it was rare to find a non-sunroof coupe...
A friend of mine's father picked up a year old NEW non-sunroof Carrera at a dealership that couldn't sell it .... Now it's the car that everyone comments on in the parking lot...

Hope this helps,
Chuck

[sithot]

Sunroof cars were RARE up until the G body and when the SC made its debut it seems all of them that made it stateside had a sunroof. Like Chuck said, all Carreras seem to have one.

There is no such thing as a sunroof delete car. They had one or they didn't. It wasn't a box you checked on the order form. All of them came without one unless it was ordered.

This recently coined BS "sunroof delete" moniker is pure used Porsche market marketing hype.

Here's one with the standard roof still somewhat intact after a roll over. Cutting out the sunroof doesn't help the structure at all. IMHO, it's a travesty to remove one from an early car. I'd have a hoop at a minimum if I did have one of these modified cars.

[carsandcapp]

Thanks Chuck and Sithot. It is interesting to learn that in the early years the option was to ADD the sunroof and in the later G body years you had to order them without it.

[70SATMan]

Thanks Chuck and Sithot. It is interesting to learn that in the early years the option was to ADD the sunroof and in the later G body years you had to order them without it.

This I believe is still an incorrect statement and Mister B. Is correct. Just because most SCs/Carreras came with sunroofs because that’s what Porsche felt the NA market wanted doesn’t mean that sunroofs were standard and that there was a special option code to delete the sunroof.

Through the SC/Carrera, the sunroof was an Option (M650). There is no sunroof delete option number that I’ve heard of or read.

[edmayo]

I agree, the dealer net work always wanted the addition of pricey options. In the sixties and seventies dealers always ordered the 5 speed option, the 4 speed was standard, but you rarely saw those here in the states because the option was already decided for you by the dealer.

[Dave Awesome]

I was always curious about that term. Never did make sense to me.

[davep]

There were Delete options, but not for a sunroof. Anyone using the "sunroof delete" term should be viewed with suspicion. Here are some Delete options:
1967 9541 Delete undercoating - loss of warranty (22lbs)
1967 9542 Delete sound absorbing materials (36lbs)
1970 71 M421 Delete bumper horns on front bumper
1971 M496 Delete PORSCHE lettering on engine lid
1971 84+ M498 Delete model designation on engine lid
1971 M499 Delete model designation on glove box door
M486 Delete driver side mirror
1973 Delete rear spoiler
1975 M470 Delete front and rear wing
1984 M464 Delete compressor and tire pressure gauge
1984 M470 Delete spoilers, in conjunction with turbo look
1984 M576 Delete rear foglight

[sithot]

The new cars are ordered à la carte:
Pick your "Steak" and then go to the menu. It's amazing how much a new one can cost.

[Eminence Gris]

The term is nonsensical for many Porsches.

It makes a bit of sense if you only know 911s delivered through the distributor in North America. Sometime in the late 70s, PCNA declared 911s would have sunroofs and power windows. ROW 911s of the era are often seen without sunroofs, power windows and lacking leather seating surfaces.