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3815
Number: 3814
From: "Robert"
Date: Wed Oct 22, 2003 6:43 pm
Subject: Re: [ASC McLaren ] About the Firebird Notchbacks and ASC Firebirds.. ;)
Body:
Re: [ASC McLaren ] About the Firebird Notchbacks and ASC Firebirds.. ;)
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I've seen one of these here in El Paso. It was seized by the Border
Patrol from a drug dealer and turned into a "promo" car (along with a
yellow Saleen SC). Really nice. Has all of the Border Patrol
graphics and the light bar. I actually like this notch better than
the regular version, having owned a reg. version.
I have an ASC brochure for a Firebird Suntour. What was this? Has a
glass roof!
Thanks,
Robert
--- In ascmclaren@yahoogroups.com, "SNP Marq" <infosyssec@i...> wrote:
> Hi Sandy
>
> From what I understand there are only about 120 of these cars left
on the road from an original production run supposedly of of 625.
>
> Here is a nice pic of a red 88 Notchback
> http://www.gtasourcepage.com/ModelFeaturesPics/89RedNotchback.jpg
>
> Here is a nice group of pics of a black 88 Notchback
> http://i.b5z.net/i/u/741720/i/88_nocthback_large.jpg
>
> The units were built during 1988 and 1989. The notchback option was
actually canceled before the start of production for 1989; a dealer
bulletin in August 1988 announced its demise, instructing dealers to
recall any and all GTA orders with the Notchback code on them. Still,
PMD records show that one single car was built for 1989........ which
it is suspected is the car pictured in the first photo link I
provided in this message.
>
> Today these GTAs are very rare sights and are highly collectible,
even though the style really did not catch on during their brief
production run. These cars were the only GTAs not to use a variation
of the rear aero-wing spoiler, since the notchback design changed the
layout of the hatch lid. PMD engineers simply installed the standard
flat Firebird spoiler instead of the usual aero-wing unit.
>
> The key thing to keep in mind about this particular model is that
it was a GTA Trans Am.
>
> Now for the ASC connection ;).....
>
> Yet another interesting side note in the Firebird GTA's history was
the production of a small number of GTA convertibles for 1989 by ASC,
an aftermarket conversion company we all know and love...
>
> Yup....
>
> Here is a pic of an ASC modified red 89 GTA convertible. Note the
hard tonneau style
> http://www.gtasourcepage.com/ModelFeaturesPics/89GTAConvertible.jpg
>
> And here is a pic of an ASC modified white 20th Anniversary
convertible
> http://www.gtasourcepage.com/ModelFeaturesPics/20thTAConvertible.jpg
>
> The exact number of ASC GTAs built remains a mystery, but there
were only 369 Firebird convertibles built that year and only 50
examples had the 5.7L TPI engine, which was standard in the GTA. No
official production data has been verified by ASC but, still, the
1989 GTA convertibles remain some of the rarest examples built during
the GTA's five-year run. The only 1989 model GTA convertible that can
be verified as far as the number actually produced was the 1989 20th
Anniversary Indianapolis Pace Car edition, which was also converted
by ASC. There were but two examples converted for 1989.............
>
> My notchback is the Sandstone taupe color and I have seen a white
one. So that accounts for at least four colors of notchbacks -
white, taupe, red and black.
>
> The only other thing I can add to the story is this bit of trivia.
Apparently the notchback GTA's were originally put into production
because California and various 'hot and sunny state' dealers had
complained that the large expanse of glass on the standard Firebird
hatchback was making the interiors of the cars into ovens. So GM
came up with the notchback to satisfy those 'hot state' dealers with
a design that did not permit the sun to roast the insides of the
car. We only have a small heavily tinted window and the rest of the
hatch is fiberglass and painted to match the car. Anyhow, from what
I gather or understand this notchback presented a problem for a
number of drivers because it created HUGE blindspots. You have more
difficulty seeing out the back and to your rear sides with the
notchback. Naturally GM only figured this out after a number of the
cars had been involved in accidents. Hence the reason why GM
immediately cancelled the availability of these cars and recalled any
still on the car lots and cancelled all orders that were outstanding
at that time.
>
>
> Marq
>
>
>
>
>
>
> ----- Original Message -----
> From: Sandy Block
> To: ascmclaren@yahoogroups.com
> Sent: Wednesday, October 22, 2003 11:26 AM
> Subject: Re: [ASC McLaren ] Looking for info! 82 'Stang 2 seater
convertible!
>
>
>
> Marq, my best buddy in college had one of those F'Bird
notchbacks!
> Cool Car, got lots of looks, but nobody would ever believe that
it
> was factory. I never knew how many were made, but we knew very
very
> few. Both he & I saw another one, but we were not together. So
> together, we saw his and two others. All 3 were Red. Was Red
> mandatory?? How positive are you about the 120 number????
> He kept it after college for several years. When he got a good
job
> he traded it in on a Lincoln Mark 7 ~ we never saw it again. We
grew
> up in the same town & went to college in Washington DC. He had
the
> F'Bird there, and it went to H as it lived on the street. Was
broken
> into a coulple times, paint faded, bumpers chipped, etc, etc.
Man,
> you brought back memories on THAT one.
>
>
>
>
--- In ascmclaren@yahoogroups.com, "SNP Marq" <infosyssec@i...>
wrote:
> > Well..... I could be wrong, but for the Mustang family, they
have
> always referred to the 'trunk' model of the Fox body Mustangs
> as 'coupes' and the rear glass models as hatchbody or hatchback.
I
> don't know if this is 'Ford' terminology or just the way it is
> referred to by the majority of the 'common folk'.
> >
> > In the 82 to 91 Firebirds, they always referred to the glass
backed
> models as 'hatchbacks'.... but when they put the 'Ferrari' style
> hatch instead of the all glass back on to a limited run of
Firebirds
> they referred to them as 'notchbacks' ( they only produced about
120
> or so of them.... and I got one ;).
> >
> > I wonder where that leaves the convertibles, like the TR6 and
> Spitfire, that could be ordered with a convertible 'hard top'
that
> basically turned them into 'hard tops' although it was not
physically
> manufactured into the integrity of the body. TR6 hardtops are
> probably the sexiest TR6's running around on the road ;)
> >
> > But they even have such pop on, pop off hardtops for the
Mercedes
> which look pretty wicked. So even though they are basically a
> convertible, once they put on their 'hard top' does that make
them
> coupes ?
> >
> > When I think of the word 'coupe' I always fall back to the
Beach
> Boys and their little ditty about "Little Deuce Coupe'...
That is
> probably where I associated a 'hard top' car - with a trunk as
being
> a coupe.
> >
> > And Ford seemed to have stuck with that in the original 60 /
70's
> Mustangs... where they had 'coupes and they had fastbacks ( yeah
yet
> another 'back' name'.) And it is interesting to see how the
public
> has preferred the 'fastback' over the coupes in the early
generation
> Mustangs, but in the Fox body generation the taste swung from
> the 'hatchback' over to the 'coupe' models.
> >
> > I must have been couped up in my office too long to babble so
long
> on this subject
> >
> > Marq
> >
> >
> > ----- Original Message -----
> > From: ecstacycustomz
> > To: ascmclaren@yahoogroups.com
> > Sent: Wednesday, October 22, 2003 10:06 AM
> > Subject: Re: [ASC McLaren ] Looking for info! 82 'Stang 2
seater
> convertible!
> >
> >
> > there have been many a hardtop convertible. ford fairlane
had a
> > retractable hardtop convertible, cadillac alante has a
removable
> > hardtop(and a rag, just in case), so do the older benz's, and
t-
> > birds. im sure there are many more, these are just the ones
> fresh
> > in my mind.
> > i always thought coupe meant 2 seater, and hardtop usually
meant
> no
> > pillar(and easily broken into). my 76 deville is a 4dr
hardtop.
> >
> > jdawg
> >
> >
> >
> >
--- In ascmclaren@yahoogroups.com, "negusm" <negusm@y...>
wrote:
> > > I doubt it. The end result is what defines what the car is
> called.
> > >
> > > Even though all early Fox bodied Mustang verts started life
as
> > > coupes, you don't call them coupes now. They are called
> > > convertibles. Can you call them "convertible coupes"?
Maybe.
> > >
> > > Now whether a vert can be called a "hardtop vert", I don't
> know.
> > > Looking on the web, it appears there was a "hardtop
> convertible"
> > back
> > > in the 50's. It appears to be a car that looks like a
> convertible
> > > but the top won't retract.
> > >
> > > http://ca.geocities.com/rfhowells/nhpfiles/hardtops.htm
> > >
> > > The only nit I had was when people refer to hatchbacks and
the
> > like
> > > as hardtops.
> > >
> > > -Mike
> > >
> > >
--- In ascmclaren@yahoogroups.com, "fourspeed38852"
> > > <fourspeed38852@y...> wrote:
> > > > OK, what about this -- what if the vert started life as a
2
> door
> > > > hardtop? Would it count then?
> > > >
--- In ascmclaren@yahoogroups.com, "negusm" <negusm@y...>
> wrote:
> > > > > Arghhh...I think I meant to say that a
> convertible "doesn't"
> > > > > count....but to be honest I don't know if a vert can be
a
> > hardtop
> > > > or
> > > > > not.
> > > > >
> > > > > -Mike
> > > > >
> > > > >
--- In ascmclaren@yahoogroups.com, "negusm"
<negusm@y...>
> > wrote:
> > > > > > The definition of a 2 door hardtop:
> > > > > > A "hardtop" is a vehicle that does not have the "B"
> pillars,
> > > > which
> > > > > > are the pillars normally behind the front doors
> > > > > >
> > > > > > A convertible counts even though a convertible
doesn't
> have
> > the
> > > > > > posts. Hardtop usually refers to a coupe. I have
never
> > heard
> > > it
> > > > > > used for a convertible. However, I think it can be
> applied
> > to
> > > a
> > > > 4
> > > > > > door sedan...
> > > > > >
> > > > > > http://home.wanadoo.nl/shaul/cf/cf70/cf70b.htm
> > > > > >
> > > > > > The way it bugs me is when people refer to any car
with a
> > metal
> > > > > roof
> > > > > > as a hardtop.
> > > > > >
> > > > > > -Mike
> > > > > >
> > > > > >
--- In ascmclaren@yahoogroups.com, "fourspeed38852"
> > > > > > <fourspeed38852@y...> wrote:
> > > > > > > OK, just what is a 2 door hardtop? Can a
convertible
> be
> > > > > > a "hardtop"?
> > > > > > >
> > > > > > > -- In ascmclaren@yahoogroups.com, "negusm"
> <negusm@y...>
> > > wrote:
> > > > > > > > The misuse of "hardtop" bugs me to no end. Just
> because
> > > > > > its "hard"
> > > > > > > > doesn't make it a hardtop.
> > > > > > > >
> > > > > > > > -Mike
> > > > > > > >
> > > > > > > >
--- In ascmclaren@yahoogroups.com, Tom G
> > > <speedracer815@y...>
> > > > > > wrote:
> > > > > > > > > >
http://mclellansautomotive.com/photos/B24833.jpg
> > > > > > > > >
> > > > > > > > > Interesting that they chose to call a
convertible a
> > > > > > > > > coupe. The misuse of terms like sedan, coupe,
> hardtop,
> > > > > > > > > roadster, etc. is one of my pet peeves in the
> > > > > > > > > automotive world.
> > > > > > > > >
> > > > > > > > >
> > > > > > > > > Tom G.
> > > > > > > > >
> > > > > > > > > __________________________________
> > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > The New Yahoo! Shopping - with improved product
> search
> > > > > > > > > http://shopping.yahoo.com
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