Autoblog

Vehicle roof crush standards have not been significantly revised since 1971. The current requirements say one side of a vehicle's roof must support at least 1.5 times the total vehicle weight. However, the strength requirements reach a maximum at 5,000 lbs, whether or not the calculated standard is greater. The regulations also do not apply to convertibles or vehicles weighing more than 6,000 lbs. In 2005, a proposal was created to revise the requirement to 2.5 times the total vehicle weight on one side of the vehicle. Now that proposal has been altered, since NHTSA says it is feasible to distribute the test to press on both sides of a vehicle's roof. It has also been proposed to increase the standards to cover vehicles up to 10,000 lbs. An active rollover test is ruled out though, due to repeatability issues and lack of variable control. To appease Congress, NHTSA must put a revised standard in place by April 2009.

While updating safety standards is always a good thing, the issued statements relating to the proposal leave some questions. It is not stated whether the testing weight cap of 5,000 lbs will be increased along with the maximum tested vehicle weight. These days, many automobiles weigh in at upwards of 4,000 lbs. 2.5 times a 4,000-lb vehicle falls well above the 5,000-pound limit. There is also still no mention of convertible safety. Hopefully the full proposal is more detailed than the points touched upon in this piece.

[Source: Auto News, Sub. Req'd]

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How do you top a car like the Lamborghini Murcielago Roadster? It's simply one of the most desirable supercars on the market. But while the terms "practicality" and "Lamborghini" don't belong anywhere in the same sentence, the topless Raging Bull's roof is something best considered only for emergencies – just when the contraption's complicated installment procedures prove most frustrating (or so we hear).

Coming to the rescue are the American coachbuilders at Genaddi, who've designed a special roof for the special supercar. If the name rings any bells, Genaddi is responsible for such intriguing open-air conversions as the Corvette LSR Roadster, Maybach 62 cabriolet and the (limited) production version of the Ford GTX1 concept.

Genaddi's design for the Murcielago is far less complicated, but from the description, its simplicity could be its most redeeming quality. Made of carbon fiber, the six panels are designed to fit under the front hood of the roadster so it can be taken along with the car. They can be mounted in different configurations – completely open, completely closed, T-top or targa – and include a rear glass window. Genaddi expects to put the roof into production in May, when it will sell for $26,000.

Yes, that's enough to buy a decent complete car, but it's a small price to pay if it means getting more use out of your Lamborghini. And that's a worthy cause which we here at Autoblog support whole-heartedly.

Check out the press release after the jump and more images in the high-res gallery below.

Between VW and MINI (and Audi's multiplying microsites), it's a wonder we don't spend all day playing little flash games with cars. That is, what tiny bit of time we have left when we're finished talking about cars. The house of Hammer & Coop has come up with another pleasing time-waster for MINI-philes, one that lets you design a custom roof. When you're finished with your MINI Mondrian or some other artistic piece, you can submit your design to the gallery. If it gets approved (which can take up to a week), your car will appear in the site opener, parked among what look to be hundreds of cars created by folks who also had nothing better to do at work. (As far as we can tell, the picture above can't be created in the designer, so don't expect to see it in the gallery any time soon. But lolcats and MINI's are made for each other.)

[Source: MINI.com via Autobild]

Shortly after bringing you the details and photos of the new 3-Series convertible, BMW has put out this video demonstrating its impressive new folding hard-top roof doin' its thang.

Fortunately the video starts with a guy walking out of his house, because otherwise we wouldn't know how a BMW driver might walk (though you're welcome to elaborate tastefully in the comments section). In between the walking over and the driving away, the video also shows us how to put a bag in the trunk and on the back seats, and shows us how the nifty new roof works. The entire 3-piece assembly folds in 20 seconds at the push of a button, securing itself neatly in the trunk and giving four passengers the open-air experience or the security of a closed coupe.

[Source: Leftlane News]