PVC / vinyl hood materials

for selected vintage and classic cars

Some vintage and classic cars were originally fitted with PVC or vinyl hoods (e.g. VW Beetle, VW Golf and Mazda MX5). This material is also sometimes mistakenly referred to as synthetic leather. Vinyl is comprised of two layers. The top layer is made of a synthetic material and the bottom layer is usually made of cotton.

Advantages

Has a slightly lower price tag than a Sonnenland top
Easier to clean

Serious disadvantages

Vinyl PVC tops have a significantly shorter life span than canvas tops
Barely any original material left (different structure/grain)

This last point is quite decisive. Most of the older original materials are no longer being produced because the plasticisers used in them at thetime have since been banned. This is because they are potentially toxic. This is why the vinyl/PVC material produced these days is no longer on a par with the quality of the original. It becomes significantly stiffer, susceptible to shrinking and brittle within a relatively short time. We stock a number of different vinyl PVC materials so as to allow us to produce replacement hoods that are as close to the original as possible. However, we generally advise all of our customers to consider using Sonnenland.