American Specialty Cars
Encyclopedia
American Specialty Cars (commonly known as ASC) is an automobile
supplier of highly engineered and designed roof systems, body systems and other specialty-vehicle systems for the world’s automakers. The company is headquartered in Southgate, Michigan
, in the United States
and was one of several coach convertible
builders.
in Los Angeles, California
as the American Sunroof Company in 1965. The company soon expanded its operations into Detroit by 1967. The company first supplied OEM
services to the Ford 1968 Cougar XR-7.
automobiles into convertible
s on an OEM basis. The company also engineers convertible tops for automakers to build themselves. Other original-equipment firsts for ASC include the mobile video system (on the Chevrolet Venture
) and the powered sunroof.
Automobile
An automobile, autocar, motor car or car is a wheeled motor vehicle used for transporting passengers, which also carries its own engine or motor...
supplier of highly engineered and designed roof systems, body systems and other specialty-vehicle systems for the world’s automakers. The company is headquartered in Southgate, Michigan
Southgate, Michigan
Southgate is a city in Wayne County in the U.S. state of Michigan. The population was 30,047 at the 2010 census.Southgate was the last city to incorporate from the former Ecorse Township, gaining city status in October 1958...
, in the United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
and was one of several coach convertible
Coach convertible
Coach convertibles are convertibles built by independent shops, or coachbuilders, by converting closed cars into open ones. This practice filled, and to a small extent continues to fill a small void left by the auto industry...
builders.
Founding
The company was founded by Heinz PrechterHeinz Prechter
Heinz Prechter a German born entrepreneur who founded the American Sunroof Company was a quintessential entrepreneur, legendary visionary, community leader and philanthropist. He was a close friend and avid fundraiser for the Bush Family .-Early life:Born in 1942 in Kleinhöbing, Germany, Mr...
in Los Angeles, California
Los Angeles, California
Los Angeles , with a population at the 2010 United States Census of 3,792,621, is the most populous city in California, USA and the second most populous in the United States, after New York City. It has an area of , and is located in Southern California...
as the American Sunroof Company in 1965. The company soon expanded its operations into Detroit by 1967. The company first supplied OEM
OEM
OEM means the original manufacturer of a component for a product, which may be resold by another company.OEM may also refer to:-Computing:* OEM font, or OEM-US, the original character set of the IBM PC, circa 1981...
services to the Ford 1968 Cougar XR-7.
Innovations
ASC invented the glass-panel "moonroof". In the industry, ASC became well known for converting standard coupeCoupé
A coupé or coupe is a closed car body style , the precise definition of which varies from manufacturer to manufacturer, and over time...
automobiles into convertible
Convertible
A convertible is a type of automobile in which the roof can retract and fold away having windows which wind-down inside the doors, converting it from an enclosed to an open-air vehicle...
s on an OEM basis. The company also engineers convertible tops for automakers to build themselves. Other original-equipment firsts for ASC include the mobile video system (on the Chevrolet Venture
Chevrolet Venture
The Chevrolet Venture is a minivan produced by General Motors from the 1997 to 2005 model years. It replaced the Chevrolet Lumina APV. Identical minivans were also sold in Europe as the Opel Sintra, and in the UK, they were badged as a Vauxhall. Opel assisted in the development of the minivan as well...
) and the powered sunroof.
Currently
The company has since changed its name in 2004 to highlight its new corporate focus on being a complete specialty-vehicle development partner for the world’s automakers.Current ASC products
- Chrysler 300Chrysler 300The Chrysler 300 is a full-size upscale car first shown at the 2003 New York Auto Show as a concept car. Sales in the U.S. began in the spring of 2004 as an early 2005 model year car. Designed by Ralph Gilles, the new 300 was built as a high-end sedan while the SRT-8 model was designed to be the...
C Helios (prototype convertible conversion) - Mitsubishi EclipseMitsubishi EclipseThe Mitsubishi Eclipse was a coupe that was in production since 1989 for left hand drive traffic markets. According to Mitsubishi, the car was named after an 18th century English racehorse which won 26 races, and has also been sold as the Eagle Talon and the Plymouth Laser captive imports through...
Spyder (convertible conversion) - Toyota Camry SolaraToyota Camry SolaraThis page is about the automobile manufactured by Toyota. For other uses, see Solara The Toyota Camry Solara, also more commonly known as the Toyota Solara, is a mid-size coupe/convertible designed and engineered by Toyota...
Convertible (convertible conversion)
Past ASC products
- ASC McLaren Capri (coupe and two-seat convertible)
- ASC McLaren Mustang two-seater
- BMW Z4BMW Z4The BMW Z4 is a rear-wheel drive sports car by the German car maker BMW. It follows a line of past BMW roadsters such as the BMW Z1, BMW 507, BMW Z8, and the BMW Z3. The Z4 replaces the Z3. First generation production started in 2002 at BMW USA's Greer, South Carolina plant, with production of both...
(OEM convertible hardware with Edscha Cabrio-Verdecksysteme) - Buick GNX (high-performance turbochargerTurbochargerA turbocharger, or turbo , from the Greek "τύρβη" is a centrifugal compressor powered by a turbine that is driven by an engine's exhaust gases. Its benefit lies with the compressor increasing the mass of air entering the engine , thereby resulting in greater performance...
) - Chevrolet CamaroChevrolet CamaroThe Chevrolet Camaro is an automobile manufactured by General Motors under the Chevrolet brand, classified as a pony car and some versions also as a muscle car. It went on sale on September 29, 1966, for the 1967 model year and was designed as a competing model to the Ford Mustang...
(convertible conversion) - Chevrolet SSRChevrolet SSRThe Chevrolet SSR is a retractable hardtop convertible pickup truck manufactured by Chevrolet between 2003 and 2006....
(convertible hardtop engineering) - Chrysler Cordoba LS (simulated converible conversion)
- Dodge Dakota (convertible conversion)
- Dodge Mirada CMXDodge MiradaThe Dodge Mirada was a full-sized, rear-wheel drive coupe built from 1980–83, and was one of the three cars based on the Chrysler J platform, the other models being the second generation Chrysler Cordoba and the Imperial, these three vehicles being Chrysler's response to the downsizing of its car...
(simulated convertible conversion) - Dodge ShadowDodge ShadowFor 1987, Chrysler Corporation introduced two new compact cars, the Dodge Shadow and the Plymouth Sundance , intended to replace the Dodge Charger - Dodge Omni and Plymouth Turismo - Plymouth Horizon, respectively...
(convertible conversion) - Dodge SRT-4Dodge SRT-4The Dodge SRT-4 is a sport compact car manufactured by Dodge from 2003-2005. A turbocharged variant of the Neon, the car was developed by DaimlerChrysler's in house PVO tuner group. PVO was officially renamed SRT in 2004. The "4" in the SRT-4's name denotes the number of cylinders of the engine...
(external modifications) - GMC SycloneGMC SycloneThe GMC Syclone is a high-performance version of the GMC Sonoma pickup truck. Produced in 1991, the Syclone spawned the similarly powered 1992-1993 GMC Typhoon SUV. Another vehicle, the GMC Sonoma GT, offered less performance but was seen as a companion model.At the time it was introduced, the...
/TyphoonGMC TyphoonThe GMC Typhoon is a high-performance version of the GMC Jimmy SUV. Produced in 1992 and 1993, the Typhoon was based on the 1991 GMC Jimmy SUV....
(high-performance turbochargerTurbochargerA turbocharger, or turbo , from the Greek "τύρβη" is a centrifugal compressor powered by a turbine that is driven by an engine's exhaust gases. Its benefit lies with the compressor increasing the mass of air entering the engine , thereby resulting in greater performance...
, body kit, AWD) - GM J platformGM J platformThe J platform, or J-body, was General Motors' inexpensive front-wheel drive automobile platform from the 1980s and 1990s. The platform replaced the GM H platform. The J-platform is the only platform of GM to have a model in each of its "Original 5" passenger car divisions...
- (Chevrolet Cavalier and Pontiac Sunbird/Sunfire convertible conversion) - Mitsubishi 3000GT SpyderMitsubishi GTOThe Mitsubishi GTO is a sports car built by Japanese automaker Mitsubishi Motors between 1990 and 2001. In most export markets it was rebadged as a Mitsubishi 3000GT. It was also sold by Chrysler in North America as a Dodge Stealth captive import from the 1991 to 1996 model years with only minor...
(convertible conversion) - Nissan 240SXNissan 240SXThe 240SX is a two-door compact car that was introduced to the North American market by Nissan in 1988 for the following model year. It replaced the outgoing 200SX model. Most of the 240SX were equipped with the 2.4-liter inline 4 engine . The KA24E being single over-head cam and KA24DE being dual...
(convertible conversion) - Infiniti MInfiniti MThe "M" nameplate has been used on various mid-luxury cars from the Infiniti luxury division of Nissan.The first iteration was the M30 Coupe/Convertible, which were rebadged JDM Nissan Leopard....
(convertible conversion) - Pontiac FirebirdPontiac FirebirdThe Pontiac Firebird was built by the Pontiac division of General Motors between 1967 and 2002. The Firebird was introduced the same year as the automaker's platform-sharing model, the Chevrolet Camaro...
(convertible conversion) - Pontiac Grand AmPontiac Grand AmThe original Grand Am was introduced in the fall of 1972 as a 1973 model. It was based on the GM A platform along with other cars such as the Pontiac LeMans, Pontiac GTO, Chevrolet Chevelle, Buick Century, and the Oldsmobile Cutlass Supreme...
SC/T (external modifications) - Pontiac Grand PrixPontiac Grand PrixPicking up where the Pontiac Ventura model left off, the Grand Prix first appeared in the Pontiac line for 1962. It was essentially a standard Pontiac Catalina coupe with minimal outside chrome trim and a sportier interior...
Turbo Grand Prix (high-performance turbochargerTurbochargerA turbocharger, or turbo , from the Greek "τύρβη" is a centrifugal compressor powered by a turbine that is driven by an engine's exhaust gases. Its benefit lies with the compressor increasing the mass of air entering the engine , thereby resulting in greater performance...
, body kit) - Porsche 968Porsche 968The 968 is a sports car sold by Porsche AG from 1992 to 1995. It took over the entry-level position in Porsche's lineup from the 944, with which it shared about 20% of its parts...
Convertible (convertible conversion) - Saab 900 (convertible prototype)
- Toyota CelicaToyota CelicaThe Toyota Celica name has been applied to a series of coupes made by the Japanese company Toyota. The name is ultimately derived from the Latin word coelica meaning "heavenly" or "celestial"....
(convertible conversion)