Automobile with sunshine roof

In an automobile provided with a sunshine roof having means defining a roof aperture including a front cross member of upwardly open channel section, a rear cross member of upwardly open trough shaped cross section having front and rear walls, and two longitudinal runners of upwardly open channel section having inner and outer walls, a flexible roof covering, a cross-piece to which the rear edge of said roof covering is attached, two levers supporting the said cross-piece and pivotally attached to said longitudinal runners, and a pair of flexible straps attached to opposite ends of said cross-piece, the leading ends of said straps being adapted to engage in the channel of the front cross member to tension the straps, which cover the longitudinal edges of the roof covering when the latter is fitted over said roof aperture,

• the improvement which comprises a removable roof panel for use as an alternative to the flexible roof covering, comprising a sheet of transparent rigid plastics material, provided with hook means at its front edge which engages in the channel section front cross member and further provided with a lip on its rear edge which fits over the front wall of the trough shaped rear cross member, the lateral edges of said sheet cooperating along their lower surfaces with the inner walls of the channel section side runners while the upper surfaces of said sheet are covered along said lateral edges by the flexible straps normally used to cover and exert pressure upon the longitudinal edges of the flexible roof covering in the closed position of the latter.