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Number: 3905
From: "Sandy Block"
Date: Mon Nov 3, 2003  12:45 pm
Subject: Please Read / History of PRE-McLarens

Body:
Please Read / History of PRE-McLarens

All of the sales brochures from all 1980-1983 aftermarket convertor
Mustang Convertibles have arrived, and I've made a study of each.
Herewith the findings:-

Each were substantially different, allthough upon a glance they all
looked very, very similiar.

Bivouac (Bivouac - P.O. Box 279 - Vandalia, Michigan 49095 (616)-476-
9794). There car was the only 2-seater of the bunch. It sported the
3-window rear top design, but the small triangular small wrap around
windows were considerably larger than what was used on the
ascMcLaren. The cars were 1981 & 1982s, from what I can tell. The
working of the roof was similiar, but different! There was a fairly
large "chest-type" of a storage container behind the front buckets
that had chrome chest-type clamp closures on top of it, near the hard
fiberglass tonneau cover, that was very, very similiar to our
ascMcLarens. The convertible top appears NOT to have the power pull-
down, but rather to snap on snaps on the tonneau cover to hold it
down. (Seems easily broken into, since thesnaps were on the
exterior)!! Overall it looks more "Back-yard made" than does the
ascMcLarens, that look more professionally designed.

automobili intermeccanica C`abrio (a.i.c.) - 18475 Bandilier Circle,
Fountain Valley, California 92708 (704)-556-1011
Factories also in: Sacramento, Calif. / Hillsdale, Michigan /
Toronto, Canada and Monterey, Mexico.
The C`abrio is easily mistaken for the Bivouac. However there are
many differences. The C`brio leaves the rear seat intact, therby
making it a 4-passenger car. The convertible roof has the large rear
center window of the Bivouac, BUT the C`abrio lacks the two corner
small triangular wrap around windows. The "C" pillar of the
convertible roof is solid vinyl, very traditional. Like the Bivouac,
the "C" pillar area features chrome snaps to snap the convertible top
down onto. This car was made between 1980 & 1982. A handfull of 1983
may have also been made. Total Production was around 1,200 units.

"The Pony Convertible" by A.H.A. (Andrew A. Hotton
AHA Manufacturing / 5309 Manigate Drive, Mississauga, Ontario L4W 1G6
Canada (416) 625-6860.
Sad to say, compared to the high quality, factory looking stretch
sedans and limousines and Continential convertibles that were tour-de
force impeccably made by AHA, this here Pony Convertible was a mess!
It sported AHA made vent windows, but they did NOT open. The "boot"
was 10 miles long in looks and bore maybe 30 snaps. The convertible
roof (when in the "UP" posistion, also snapped onto the 30 snaps!)
In an attemp to cut down on the blind spot created by a gigantic "C"
pillar area, AHA actually placed in that area a clear plastic window
in the shape of an upside-down pyramid. The rear window was large
plastic. Being kind, the total effect of the car was "unusual and not
balanced in appearance". 1980-1983. Unknown # made.

In a prior note, I mentioned the "Swift Edition by Tomaso" as well as
an "American Pullman" Edition. Since that time, I have learned
exactly what this was. Neither company had anything to do with the
making of these cars. They were mearly middle-men or thinly
disguised vendors masquerading as manufacturers. They, (probably
along with many others that I have not found) were merely fronting
for a company called "Classic Coachworks, Inc." of Orlando
Florida. "C.C." was the actual manufacturer of this product that went
by whatever name the vendor decided to call it. Tomaso of America
(11125 Arcade / {POB # 5692} of Little Rock, Ark 72216 (501) 227-0284
was one of the dealers down south. The President at the time was a
Russell E. Swift as well his brother Tom Swift. Therefore they
called theirs the "Swift~Edition". Another vendor was a limousine
convertor in New York City, named American Pullman. A.M. was known
for their Cadillac Limousines. They too were a vendor for the C.C.
product. All orders filtered thru Sun State Ford (Owner: Bill
Krebs). Sun State Ford was at 3535 West Colonial Drive, Orlando,
Fla. They were the closest Ford dealer to C.C. and Sun State charged
C.C. $65.00 over invoice for each Mustang. The ordered cars from
dealers/customers from all around the country all went thru Sun State
Ford, and were delivered there for C.C. to pick-up.
American Pullman was located at 1700 Eastern Parkway in Brooklyn,
N.Y. 11233 (212)-485-1090.
This C.C. example took a little from each of the above. The
convertible roof from the C`abrio; the rear window design from the
Bivouac and the inclusion of the rear seat, from the C.C. as well as
the C`abrio. They too were made from 1980-1982. No available #s on
total production.

Convertible tops on all of them were available in black, dark blue,
dark brown and light tan. Body paints were anything Ford offered in
any particular year. Likewise any options available were good to
go. Examples came with the 4-Cyl, the Turbo-4, the six & the V-8,
any transmissions and many different seats, from cloth to velour to
leather to Recaros. All cars began as a 2-Door Sedan. Rear
Defrosters and Vinyl Roofs and T-Top or Sun Roofs were the only items
that were taboo to order.

When Ford unveiled the 1983 "Factory made" {Yes, I know it was made
by Cars & Concepts of Brighton, Michigan) but it was touted as
Factory Made by Ford....it pretty much overshadowed all of the
herewith aforementioned products and ran them out of business,
literally overnight. No longer did a product have to take 90 days to
arrive, it could be delivered from Ford in 30 days, and be 100%
warranteed by FORD. This spelled doomsday for all of the above
companies Mustang Convertible Projects.

S A N D Y


  Replies Name/Email Yahoo! ID Date  
3910 Re: Please Read / History of PRE-McLarens fourspeed38852 fourspeed38852 Mon  11/3/2003  
3911 Re: Please Read / History of PRE-McLarens Sandy Block cigarsandy Tue  11/4/2003  
3914 Re: Please Read / History of PRE-McLarens Brent Abrams ascmclarencoupe Tue  11/4/2003  
3915 Re: Please Read / History of PRE-McLarens Sandy Block cigarsandy Tue  11/4/2003  
4963 Re: Please Read / History of PRE-McLarens T D blklistd Thu  4/22/2004  
4964 Re: Please Read / History of PRE-McLarens Sandy Block cigarsandy Thu  4/22/2004  
4965 Re: Please Read / History of PRE-McLarens T D blklistd Thu  4/22/2004  
4966 Re: Please Read / History of PRE-McLarens Sandy Block cigarsandy Fri  4/23/2004  
5212 Re: Please Read / History of PRE-McLarens negusm negusm Fri  7/2/2004