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3816
Number: 3815
From: "Sandy Block"
Date: Wed Oct 22, 2003 7:57 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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Sun Tour was never made! It was a one-off show car.
By the way, he HAS a 130 AMP. Alt in that 1990 !! All 1989/1990s do
have it!
S A N D Y
--- In ascmclaren@yahoogroups.com, "Robert" <asc709@y...> wrote:
> 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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> > >
> > >
> > >
> > > > >
> >
> >
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> >
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