Patent ID: 7198318

Claim:
A retractable roof structural system for a vehicle body having quarter panel sections, the system comprising: a retractable roof operable between raised and stowed positions; a retraction mechanism operable to move said retractable roof between said raised and stowed positions; a decklid operable between first and second positions, said decklid allowing movement of said retractable roof between said raised and stowed positions when said decklid is in said second position, and said decklid covering at least a portion of said retractable roof when in said stowed position when said decklid is in said first position; and a structural member operable to provide structural support to and increase a stiffness of a vehicle body on which said retractable roof is utilized, said structural member being configured to be selectively coupled adjacent the opposing quarter panel sections, and said structural member is uncoupled when said retractable roof is moving between said raised and stowed positions, and said structural member extends across the vehicle in a cross-vehicle direction below a belt line of the vehicle and adjacent to at least one of a strut tower and a rear wheel housing when coupled.