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Question for Sandy the Author

 
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1985 Motorsport Capri



Joined: 28 Sep 2004
Posts: 517
Location: Dearborn, MI / Richmond, VA USA

PostPosted: Wed Oct 06, 2004 10:03 am    Post subject: Question for Sandy the Author Reply with quote

Sandy,
i have read many articals in magazines that you wrote & many that were written by others but all the info was supplied by you.
my question to you is why do you always not mention the 1985 Motorsport Capris? If its a 79 - 86 Capri, or even just a Mclaren artical,
they are never mentioned.
just read that long artical from 1992 & a few others & i always gette irked that one of the raresest Capris is always left out.
these are just about as rare as the 84 coupes & a few other Capris.
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Jason Ringuette
1985 Mercury Motorsport Capri Registry
www.Motorsportcapri.com
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Tom S.



Joined: 28 Aug 2004
Posts: 264
Location: Farmington, MN

PostPosted: Wed Oct 06, 2004 10:20 am    Post subject: Reply with quote

I can't speak for Sandy but having known him and conversed extensively with him, almost weekly, for the past 16 years Shocked I don't know that the car was really well known when most of the articles were written. I know until not too long ago I never knew about the car and I 'think' I've been able to see at least one of every unique Ford product made.

At the very least know this--a lack of reference to the Motorsport Capri's was NOT intentional.
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Tom S.

'85 ASC Coupe #607910--sold and crushed RIP Crying or Very sad
'95 SVT Cobra--sold
'89 Oregon State Police SSP Mustang--sold
'86 LX 5.0 Coupe--sold
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Sandy



Joined: 26 Aug 2004
Posts: 6205
Location: Northern New Jersey GSP Exit 148

PostPosted: Wed Oct 06, 2004 1:03 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

My reply is too long, so I'll have to leave out a little. Firstly (not that it applies to your question) However, one of my articles (can be seen on this sight) was butchered badly. I wrote an article, while at the same time, (kept secret from me) another individual was writing an ascMcLaren article. The magazine combined them both, into one article. The other guy's last name was Emmonds (I think, or very close to that). He had many many errors in his part, when combined, it became one article. So, I am credited with the errors, he penned, as well as he being credited with facts thast I penned.

Regarding the 1985 MotorSport Capri.
Lay down your weapons. I acknowledge that car as well as the car's rarity and uniqueness, and certainly, I above all people, appreciate its exclusiveness at 30 units made. I was the fist person on here to "discover" Jason R. (you) and HIS example. We spoke alot about them. I do NOT dislike the car. There are 2 reasons that I do not include it.
#1. My knowledge of the finer (little) uniquenesses of the car is not to the level of Mr. Ringuette's. He IS the expert on these & I bow to you. I have hoped for a long time that he'd do an article on them. He is "da man" on these cars.
#2. While the bottom part of their window sticker says "Ship Thru ascMcLaren" I am not really sure what asc did to/on them. The rims were stock 5.0L Capri (1985), they wore the stock RS front air dam, and other items from an ascMcLaren were not present on them. Lastly, they were NOT built under a D32 code. So, while they were physically AT ascMcLaren, they were not built AS ascMcLarens, by FoMoCo. Points 1 & 2 weigh equally as to why I have never included them.
I had thought about an article pertaining to the 1984-1990 Convertible McLarens PREDecessors (Classic Coachworks / Automobili Intermeccanica /AHA - "Pony" / and the Bivouac) but allthough I have all of the brochures on them, I lack enough basic info from which to compose any article of merit. It's too bad, as few people know of these cars, and 90% think that trhe ascMcLaren Convertible was the first car to ever look like that, with the M-B style Rr. window and all..... and it wasn't !!

I hope I've answered your question. Should you desire to pen an article on the Motorsport Capri, I would surely assist him in any way that I could.
Note: Also have steered clear of the MCLAREN M-81, you'll note. Motor Trend did a fantastic job on that one, and I cannot add anything to theirs, which contained zero errors BTW.
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Sandy passed away in 2012. He will be forever missed.

1990 Final Car prior to the 12 Silver Anny Editions
1990 Silver Pearl Anny Edition
1986 Coupe Full Pkg #109 of 114.

http://public.fotki.com/ascmclaren/ascmclaren_capris/sandys_mclarens/


Last edited by Sandy on Wed Oct 06, 2004 1:12 pm; edited 1 time in total
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negusm
Site Admin


Joined: 25 Aug 2004
Posts: 5183
Location: Charlotte, NC

PostPosted: Wed Oct 06, 2004 1:12 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

Sandy wrote:
I lack enough basic info from which to compose any article of merit.


I think you sell yourself a bit short. Any article written by you would be well done and very interesting to read. Sure it wouldn't be "perfect" but it would alot better than any article that somebody like "Emmonds" would write for a quick buck.

-Mike
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Sandy



Joined: 26 Aug 2004
Posts: 6205
Location: Northern New Jersey GSP Exit 148

PostPosted: Wed Oct 06, 2004 1:26 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

Thanks. However. like I said, I'd rather assist Jason in writing an article as he is the expert on these. I am not to proud to say he knows more than I do on them. I bow to him. I do not think that a magazine article - how to say - Okay, lends creedence or acceptance or "entry" into an exclusive goup of pampered cars. Sure, it's nice to open a magazine and see your car highlighted, but in the end, it don't add more than five bucks to the value of your car. It's pure status. It's also alot harder these days to get an article into a mag. They are somewhat reluctant to give print to obscure cars. Why do you think so many have Red Corvettes on the cover?? Red Corvettes sell the mag. !! asc McClerion who? Carpi?? Oh, another Mustang? See..... ? With the "Muscle" car just about dead, the mags are having a hard time keeping the subscriptions up where they were 10 years ago. As the car generation ages, the replacement is the computer generation, and car mag sales are way down. The gravy years are over. Today, there is huge competition for the $$ with trail bikes & motorcycles, and cycling, and snow mobiles and computers and and and.... people only have so much "free" time & spendable $$ on magazines. All this has made the editors very jumpy and selective.
_________________
Sandy passed away in 2012. He will be forever missed.

1990 Final Car prior to the 12 Silver Anny Editions
1990 Silver Pearl Anny Edition
1986 Coupe Full Pkg #109 of 114.

http://public.fotki.com/ascmclaren/ascmclaren_capris/sandys_mclarens/
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negusm
Site Admin


Joined: 25 Aug 2004
Posts: 5183
Location: Charlotte, NC

PostPosted: Wed Oct 06, 2004 2:04 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

Jason should DEFINITELY write an article.

If he got it published, I think he would be amazed at the people that may come out of the woodwork to tell him about unknown cars or the build process.

-Mike
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Sandy



Joined: 26 Aug 2004
Posts: 6205
Location: Northern New Jersey GSP Exit 148

PostPosted: Wed Oct 06, 2004 4:57 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

Absolutely, Mike.

After my articles were published, with 4 weeks I suddenly "found" {'ya, right} over 30 cars for the Registry. (3 in Jersey, my home state, no less....and 1 of them in the NEXT town!!!)
_________________
Sandy passed away in 2012. He will be forever missed.

1990 Final Car prior to the 12 Silver Anny Editions
1990 Silver Pearl Anny Edition
1986 Coupe Full Pkg #109 of 114.

http://public.fotki.com/ascmclaren/ascmclaren_capris/sandys_mclarens/
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negusm
Site Admin


Joined: 25 Aug 2004
Posts: 5183
Location: Charlotte, NC

PostPosted: Wed Oct 06, 2004 5:48 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

Sandy, you could also write your own article and threaten Jason with publishing it. Maybe he would be motivated to collaborate with you, feeding you more info that you missed.

Poke

Sometimes its easier if somebody else builds the house so that the owner can hang the curtains and straighten the pictures.

Laughing

-Mike
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1985 ascMcLaren Coupe - Midnight Blue
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1985 Motorsport Capri



Joined: 28 Sep 2004
Posts: 517
Location: Dearborn, MI / Richmond, VA USA

PostPosted: Thu Oct 07, 2004 8:54 am    Post subject: Reply with quote

Well, thanks for the praise Sandy.
i sort of fell in love with them in late summer of 1985. i loved the 85 capri rs since i seen one on the dealer showroom. my friend had just received his driving permit, & his parents idea of him learning to drive was to just hand him the keys & take the cars by himself. Just so happens Mom had a 1985 Mustang GT Convertable with the 5 speed & his dad had a 1984 Pontiac Trans Am Indy Pace Car. nice cars to learn how to drive in.
well one day his mom says to go get some milk at the store for dinner & be back by 6pm. it was 11 am at the time so we went cruisin. at warren ave & schaffer rd in Dearborn, MI, we just so happen to pull up next to the Offical Saftey car of the 85 grand prix. we figured both cars had the same exact drivetrain so it would be a god race. that car smoke the gt convert. he was nice enough after that to pull over & chat about his car. i have been researching them ever since. in 1989 i got the chance to buy one. i had 2 to choose from. 1 was fully loaded with t-tops & the other had no options. i took the one without any options(i have only located 1 other car without any options, & that is the actual pace car!).
as far as whether they are considered ASC McLarens... I say they are! Kind of a Bastard McLaren. sort of like the red headed half brother. Part of the family, but never mentioned. they received all of the cosmetic features (excluding the quarter panel sail panel), but none of the interior options or mechanical mods. they also lacked any ASC emblams. BUT! they were at the asc facilities receiving the ASC cosmetic feautures & there is the fact you pointed out that it did have the ASC McLaren name printed on the window sticker! I notice Sandy always mentions the gp IV's in his online production figures. but the magazine articals always neglect this car.
As far as writting an artical, well i wouldnt know where to send it.
the website pretty much gets the info out. the only magazine coverage these cars ever received to my knowlege was around 1992 in Super Ford (i think) when someone sent in a couple of photos of one & asked for help finding out what they had. the people at the magazine had no idea & asked for readers help. i sent in a lengthy discription of the cars history & the next month they printed a very small response. basically it said they were a detroit commerative edition capri from detroit.
it did say that they received a letter from me & mentioned the regstry i ran. it even gave out my name & phone#, but they misprinted a digit so i obviously never received any calls. However one good thing came out of the artical was about a year before that very small piece in super ford, i found (at the time) the first automatic car at a gas station & told the guy what he had. he thought i was some crazed car person & gave me the blow off. i did manage to give him my phone number (which he threw in the glove box). after he seen the artical a year later, he freaked out at what he had & remember he had my number. he called & now was interested in finding out more on what he had. a few other people with these cars out of state actually searched & found me after the artical. so magazine coverage does help bring out others with info or cars. up until around 1998 or 1999, most people around the country had no idea about these cars, but thanks to the internet, they are now world famous amoung mustang & capri folks.
i think i have been in contact with Sandy since around 1991 or 92.
hes always been a great source for asc info. we learned much about these cars from each other & this was before the internet.
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Jason Ringuette
1985 Mercury Motorsport Capri Registry
www.Motorsportcapri.com
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negusm
Site Admin


Joined: 25 Aug 2004
Posts: 5183
Location: Charlotte, NC

PostPosted: Thu Oct 07, 2004 12:58 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

Quote:
As far as writting an artical, well i wouldnt know where to send it.


Thats where Sandy can probably help you out since he's written a few and had them published.

-Mike
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1985 ascMcLaren Coupe - Midnight Blue
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Sandy



Joined: 26 Aug 2004
Posts: 6205
Location: Northern New Jersey GSP Exit 148

PostPosted: Thu Oct 07, 2004 2:21 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

Buy the magazine you wish to send it to.

Send the finished article to their address Care of the Editior.

In about 3days call the Editior on the phone and let him be aware of your contribution. NEVER BEG!!
Tell him that in your area there has been alot of renewed interest in the "Fitzpatrick Saloon Sedan" and since you own one and have kept a Registry and you enjoy "Speeding Ticket-Road & Rage Magazine" you have sent the article to them for their accectance into their respected magazine.
But....be aware that they work 7 months ahead. They are right now finalizing the May Issue !!! May of 2005.
_________________
Sandy passed away in 2012. He will be forever missed.

1990 Final Car prior to the 12 Silver Anny Editions
1990 Silver Pearl Anny Edition
1986 Coupe Full Pkg #109 of 114.

http://public.fotki.com/ascmclaren/ascmclaren_capris/sandys_mclarens/
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