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T-top, it shouldn't be overlooked that most insurance companies charge a premium for fabric tops, an item that
must be paid each year.
Our test car represents Ford's debut into T-tops and is the prototype installation by American Sunroof Corporation,
which will supply them. It consists of dual tinted, tempered glass panels which, when removed, can be stored in a
special pouch and stashed in the luggage compartment. The treated glass screens out most of the sun's rays but is
sufficiently transparent to allow viewing of scenery, overhead signals and the like. Either one or both panels can
be removed in a jiffy with less hassle than lowering the typical convertible top. The T-top is available on the
Mustang II 3-door models but not on the 2-door Ghia notchbacks. (You have to be content with the "moon roof"
on Ghias.)
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Credit for the idea of the T-roof probably lies between the original Porsche Targa and the Corvette. but
worth mentioning are Ford's earlier attempts at solving the convertible problem. The early Thunderbirds
were available with both folding soft tops and removable hardtops, the latter usually being stored on overhead
hoists in garages when not in use. Then there were the 1957-59 Fords with folding hardtops. These worked
okay, except the folded top occupied almost all of the luggage space.
Part of the cost of installation of the T-roof goes into the addition of extra structure to the floor as well as
to the roof itself to restore some of the rigidity lost by chopping away most of the roof. Decreased rigidity
is evident from slight top rattles heard when traversing uneven surfaces, a flaw that probably was aggravated
by the rather stiff rally sus-
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pension the test car had. As expected, there was no problem with wind noise, the bane of fabric tops.
The test car was equipped with the 302 V-8 and 4-speed gearbox, which made for highly satisfactory driving.
Changes in the form of reduced size intake passages and slightly higher compression ratio give the engine
lots of low-end punch. Obtaining the best acceleration times required slipping the clutch to avoid wheelspin.
The way this combination gets you off the line gives the impression that the car is a lot faster than it really is.
But with your foot full in it, the crack ling of the octane-number-deficient unleaded gasoline and the creeping
tachometer serve as a reminder that there are only 129 ponies pulling for you.
The good news is that these ponies won't eat you out of house and home. As can be seen in the spec
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