1984 marked the first year
of the now well known, Saleen Mustang. Its success is now ledgendary
in the Mustang's history. But another company also saw Ford's
successful musclecar sales and embarked on creating one of the best
Fox-bodied conversions ever built, the ASC/McLaren. The car was the
brain-child of engineer Peter Muscat. He came up with the idea when
his wife, a Ford employee, was not allowed park her Mercedes SL in
the parking lot. In '82, he converted a '80 coupe into a 2 seat
convertible, complete with a canvas top that folded underneath a
hard cover, hiding it completely out sight. After the car was
complete, he showed the car to Ford. Because Ford was planning a
topless Mustang for the 1983 model year, it was suggested that he
talk to the people at Linclon-Mercury. Since the Capri sales had
been sliding and was being left out when the Mustang went topless,
Mercury was sold on the idea after a version based on the Capri was
made.
Muscat contracted American Sunroof Company to
build the cars based on his original design. ASC is a subcontractor
to many of the worlds auto manufacturers. The manufacturers
frequently call upon ASC to create either one-offs or low volume
convertibles for lines of cars the major companies don't want bear
the expense of creating on their own. McLaren is well known in the
racing arena for their expertise in engine and chassis building.
Back in 1981, McLaren teamed with Ford to make an ultra low
production (11) Mustang to showcase the then new body style. In
1983, ASC brought McLaren onboard to help create the unique
automobile, providing spings, shocks, struts, and wheels. Since
Capri was only available as a 3 door hatchback and not in a coupe
like the Mustang from which it's own convertible is derived from,
major modifications to the body were required.
Muscat and ASC designed the convertible to be a
2 seater with a manual top that complete folds under a hard cover
like the Mercedes SL line of the day. It was a very distinct
difference compared to the Mustang droptop. Unfortunately, most of
the modifications were limited to cosmetics rather than performance,
despite the McLaren name on the side. The first year of production,
1984, netted sales of 50 convertible and 10 hatchbacks. This was
despite the fact that Mercury never wanted to be officially involved
and wouldn't honor warranty repairs on any of the modifications made
by ASC. The cars were promoted in the individual dealerships with
posters, signs and special brochures. However, the cars met with
sales resistance, mainly due to the $21,000 price tag (in'84
dollars). The then new Lincoln Mark VII was roughly the same price
and it shared the showroom with the decked out Capri.
1985 saw an increase in sales to 407
(150 H/B, 257 conv) units for the Capri. ASC took a greater step
forward as it began to offer a supersport suspension kit containing
stiffer springs that lowered that car and revalved struts. The
interior was treated with real Recaro seats, leather wrapped
steering wheel, and a 140-mph speedometer. A new front airdam, side
body ground effects, and a rear valance filled out the exterior
changes. Ford, by specifying a special DSO code for all ASC destined
cars (D32), shipped these cars from the factory with the Motorsport
B303 camshaft and Thunderbird Turbo Coupe tie-rod ends. This was to
insure a factory warranty covered these parts
The next year was a turning point for ASC. It
was the first year for the SEFI engine that replaced the
driveability problems of the carburetion and CFI. It was also the
last year of the Capri, which also meant it would be that last year
of the ASC/McLaren built on the Capri. The 1986 models were
essentially unchanged from the previous year. Bowing to dealer
pressure to reduce the price of the cars, ASC offered a 'stripped
down' version called the Eurocoupe. Based on the hatchback, the car
was devoid of the accent stripes, high end stereo, radar detector,
and a few other niceties. Sales rose for the final year to 407 cars,
245 convertibles, 115 hatchbacks, and 47 Eurocoupes. Although the
3-door model captured more than a third of the sales, this was the
last year it was offered.
The best years of ASC/McLaren were about to
begin.
With the Capri now discontinued by Mercury due
to slow sales (dropping from 110k in 1979, to a meager 20k in 1986),
Ford invited Muscat and ASC over to modify the popular Mustang. This
time ASC had full backing from Ford which included full factory
warranty, advertising (albeit minimal), and actually a rebate
program to help fuel sales in an otherwise slow sales year. Since
the Capri and the Mustang were essentally the same car, almost all
of the parts from the previous design carried right over. Although
the price of the car had risen into the $25,000 range, ASC and Ford
managed to sell 479 of the new convertibles. So not to compete with
the GT's, hatchbacks were no longer offered. Although total sales
were down from the previous year, almost 2 1/2 times the amount of
convertibles sold than in '86.
With the change to the Mustang body for 1987,
sales inched up slightly to 479 cars. 1988 saw the ASC/McLaren's
sales more than double, selling over 1000 cars for the first time.
Leather seats, wheel and shift knob, ASC only center console,
premium sound system, 1" lowering sport springs, and 15x7 McLaren
wheels with Gatorbacks were now all standard.With the optional
ground effects package, the ASC/McLaren's sleek design was a marked
contrast from the "boy racer" looks of the Mustang GT. Total 1988
production was 1015 cars, the peak of ASC/McLaren Mustang
sales
Unfortunately in 1989, a disagreement between
Peter Muscat and ASC over licensing and royalties caused a shortage
of cars. After a record breaking year, only 247 cars were produced
in '89 and a nearly non-existant 65 cars in 1990. There were plans
for a 1991 model but an agreement between Muscat and ASC could not
be reached. ASC quietly discontinued the car near the end of the '90
model year.
The story may have been different if McLaren
had put more than just the name on the car and had a hand in
reengineering the engine and drivetrain. Final total for all seven
years of production was 2678. This low production amount is the main
reason that the ASC/McLaren is nearly unknown, being over shadowed
by the rubber burning Saleens.
Thanks to Sandy
Block for the above
information.
