We might have a misunderstanding of Laundau roofs vs. Vinyl roofs

"Turner950" (Turner950) 10/23/2013 at 03:52 • Filed to: None

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As I understand it, landau roofs get their name from landaulets, where the drivers' compartment (front bench) has a fixed roof but the rear passengers have a retractable one. A Landau top imitates this by putting vinyl over the rear part of the cabin.
See:

!!!error: Indecipherable SUB-paragraph formatting!!!
Landau top:

"Vinyl roof" is a sort of umbrella term. Most of the fake landau tops we see today are vinyl, so it makes sense to call them vinyl roofs from time to time. However, something like this, which puts vinyl over the front seats in addition to the back seats (in imitation of a full convertible) shouldn't be called a landau top.

Above is my old chevy powered 262c. It has a vinyl roof, but not a landau roof. (was featured on NPOCP a while after I got rid of it)
PS- I still have the crown badges that go on the C pillars if anyone is interested.

PPS- I may very well be wrong in making this distinction, but to me it makes perfect sense looking at the etymology of "landau".

Aya, Almost Has A Cosmo With Toyota Engine Owned by a BMW. > Turner950 10/23/2013 at 04:10

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Well, make it simple.

Landau roof opens. Vinyl, didn't.

Turner950 > Aya, Almost Has A Cosmo With Toyota Engine Owned by a BMW. 10/23/2013 at 04:16

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What I'm trying to argue is that a lot of cars have fake vinyl roofs. Some try and imitate landaulets, with the vinyl only covering the back; some try and imitate convertibles, with the vinyl covering the entire roof.

I see people refer to cars with vinyl covering the entire roof as "landau topped", and I don't think that's correct because they don't resemble that landaulet characteristic of fixed roof for the front seats, convertible for the back.

I'm probably making mountains out of molehills, but it's 1am so my mind is wandering.

beardsbynelly - Rikerbeard > Turner950 10/23/2013 at 05:31

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The original Landau was a luxury convertible carriage, a Landaulet was a convertible carriage coupe, the difference being the Landau had two benches for passengers and the Landaulet had the single bench facing fowards.

a true Landau, above. note the two collapsed convertible sections.

Landaulet, with only enough room for two (maybe 3 in a pinch)

Now, as far as cars go. Landau has been using as a simulated convertible as far back as 1920 's (according to wikipedia anyway), but specifically when it has Landau bars (the little S shaped doohickeys that simulate the convertible mechanism), and saw a resurgence in the 1960's with American cars simulating Landau roofs with vinyl and stick on Landau bars.

Landaulets have continued to reference a working convertible, continuing with the single Laundaulet section for the passengers, the chauffeur remains covered.

Leadbull > Turner950 10/23/2013 at 07:43

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Vinyl roofs always confused me as a child. I was like, why don't Cadillac drivers ever drop the top? How would that even work?

Mattbob > Turner950 10/23/2013 at 07:53

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I hear landau roofs are big here.

PS9 > Turner950 10/23/2013 at 08:12

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Well, it's impossible for a world leader to cruise around in any kind of convertible today, Landau or otherwise.

#THANKSKENNEDY

Dann > Turner950 10/23/2013 at 08:30

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Lando called. He wants his roof back.