Sliding roofs for automobiles

a sliding roof for an automobile having a fixed roof surface with an opening thereon, having a rigid sliding cover, guide rails mounted laterally of the opening in the fixed roof of the automobile extending in the sliding direction of the cover, forward and rear sliding shoes mounted on said guide rails for guiding said cover, guided thrust-transmitting cables engaging said rear sliding shoes for driving said cover, pivot bearings mounted on the forward sliding shoes for journalling said cover to pivot about a horizontal axis extending transversely to the direction of sliding, guide blocks attached to said cover along the lateral edges thereof, and guide pins mounted on said rear sliding shoes engageable with said guide blocks, so that the sliding cover, starting from its closed position, can either be swung upwards like front-hinged ventilator flaps by raising the rear edge thereof above the fixed roof surface of the automobile, or, after the rear edge thereof has been lowered, can be slid underneath the fixed roof surface of the automobile to the rear of the opening therein, whereby a force connection exists between parts attached to the sliding cover and stationary parts which prevents sliding of the cover in the direction of an opening movement while the sliding cover is being swung in from a swung-out position into its closed position, the improvement comprising a guide finger attached to the sliding cover in the vicinity of the rear edge thereof and extending transversely to the sliding direction thereof, a stationary guide element means constituting an integral portion of one of said rails for slideably guiding the cover and extending in the direction of sliding and having a recess therein located adjacent to said guide finger when said sliding cover is in the closed position thereof, a spring-loaded detent element selectively engageable with the recess in said stationary guide element means, a guide piece situated in the region of the rear edge of said sliding cover and slidably guided on the adjacent one of said guide rails and connected to said detent element, said guide piece being connected by a connecting strap to the sliding cover, said connecting strap being hinged at one end to the sliding cover and at the other to said guide piece so as to execute pivotal movements in a vertical plane lying in the direction of sliding, whereby said guide finger, when the rear edge of the cover is lowered, disengages the detent element from the recess, passes through the recess and, during subsequent sliding of the cover, is guided along the underface of the guide element.