Custom Mustang is one of car show’s rare gems
Ford revived the American muscle car in the early 1980s, producing the Ford Mustang and Mercury Capri siblings with powerful 5.0-litre V8s, solid bodies and excellent road handling — at an affordable price.
The Mustang and Capri offered aftermarket builders and tuners great potential for customization, and that led to one of the most remarkable cars of the era, the ASC McLaren.
The car was the brainchild of Peter Muscat. In 1982, he converted a 1980 coupe into a two-seat convertible with a canvas top that folded under a solid cover to be hidden from view. It was for his personal use, but it caught the attention of the people at Ford.
A topless Mustang was already in the works for 1983, so Muscat offered his idea to Lincoln-Mercury. Capri sales had been sliding and there were plans to drop the car from production.
Muscat’s idea of a topless version based on the Capri appealed to the brass at Lincoln-Mercury, however, and the Capri was granted a reprieve.
Muscat contracted with American Sunroof Company (ASC), a major subcontractor to many car manufacturers, to build a car to his design. ASC teamed with another aftermarket company, McLaren — not the McLaren that makes supercars in England — to make Muscat’s vision a reality.
ASC and McLaren teamed up to help construct what would become the ASCMcLaren in 1983.
McLaren was well known for expertise in chassis and engine design, and had teamed with Ford in 1981 to make 11 specialty Mustangs. McLaren provided springs, shocks, struts and wheels for the new convertible. The body of the car would require major modifications, since the Capri only came as a three-door hatchback, and not a coupe like the Mustang.
The Muscat-ASC design was distinct from the Mustang drop-top because the two-seat Capri convertible had a manual top that folded under a solid cover, much like the Mercedes SL.
For 1985, ASC offered a super sport suspension kit containing stiffer springs that lowered the car, combined with re-valved struts. The inside had leather Recaro seats, a leather-wrapped steering wheel and a 140-mph speedometer.
Exterior changes included a new front air dam, side body ground effects and a rear valance. Under the hood was a FordB303 camshaft and Thunderbird Turbo Coupe tie-rod ends.
The following year, the SEFI engine replaced the drivability problems of the carburetion and CFI. It was the last year of the Capri, and the last year that the ASC-McLaren would be built on the Capri.
Ford then invited Muscat and ASC to modify the Mustang. Since the Capri and the Mustang were essentially the same car, most parts were fully adaptable. The final total for the seven years of production was 2,678. This low number is one reason why the ASC-McLaren is nearly unknown today.
This Ford Lincoln Mercury-ASC McLaren Capri can be seen at the 15th Annual Rock and Roll for Little Souls Charity Car Show, at G.R. Pearkes Fieldhouse from May 26-28.
Go to rockforlittlesouls.com for more information.