ice-capades Posted March 24 Share Posted March 24 (edited) 1988 Mustang ASC McLaren Convertible Up for Auction https://fordauthority.com/2024/03/1988-ford-mustang-asc-mclaren-convertible-up-for-auction-2/ As many Blue Oval fans are already well aware, ASC McLaren teamed up with FoMoCo on multiple occasions, churning out some interesting vehicles like the ASC McLaren Ford Mustang and a Capri version as well. These models were produced in very small quantities, however, so we don’t see a ton of them surface for sale on a regular basis. Most recently, a 1988 Ford Mustang ASC McLaren convertible popped up at auction, however, and now, it’s been joined by yet another one of the same model year and configuration via Bring a Trailer. A true rarity by any definition, this 1988 Ford Mustang ASC McLaren convertible is number 940 of just 1,806 built in total between 1987 and 1990, and has just 19k miles showing on the odometer. Like all ASC McLaren convertibles, it began life as a regular old LX coupe before ASC converted it into a two-seat convertible, at which point it was also resprayed metallic blue and fitted with a blue soft top, a hard convertible boot cover, tinted tail lights, front and rear spoilers, revised lower body styling, and 15-inch MSW basketweave wheels. The interior received some upgrades as well, including blue leather front seats with perforated inserts and ASC McLaren seatback embroidery, a rear seat delete, a debossed ASC McLaren logo for the steering wheel, and a numbered plaque on the dash. There are plenty of amenities present in this ASC McLaren Mustang too, including air conditioning, cruise control, carpeted floor mats, a cassette stereo, Kenwood speakers, and power windows and locks. Under the hood, this ASC McLaren Mustang utilizes the naturally-aspirated Ford 5.0L V8 for power, which was originally rated to produce 225 horsepower and 300 pound-feet of torque. That power flows to the rear wheels via a four-speed automatic transmission in this particular case. These cars were solid performers for their time, but given their rarity, collectibility, and the low miles this one has traveled, we imagine that the new owner probably won’t be wringing it out too hard. Edited March 24 by ice-capades Additional Content 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ice-capades Posted March 24 Author Share Posted March 24 I'll share a story about my experience with the Mustang ASC McLaren shortly. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
twintornados Posted March 24 Share Posted March 24 (edited) 35 minutes ago, ice-capades said: I'll share a story about my experience with the Mustang ASC McLaren shortly. Edited March 24 by twintornados 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ice-capades Posted March 24 Author Share Posted March 24 (edited) The dealership I worked for, for nearly 35 years, became a dealer for the Mustang ASC McLaren in the Spring of 1987. I flew out to Chicago first, to visit a former skating partner from Ice Capades, then flew to Detroit the following morning and was picked up at the airport by a representative from ASC. No one at the dealership knew where I was other than the Dealer Principal and my wife at the time that also worked for the dealership. This first 1987 Mustang ASC McLaren was to be a surprise birthday present for the Dealer Principal’s fiancé that also worked for the dealership and lived with. As such, it was critical that no one knew the true nature of my trip, location, etc. for being out of the office. The ASC representative picked me up and took me to several ASC plants in the area to see their work in person, including power moonroof installations in Lincoln and Ford models. The ASC plant where the Mustang ASC McLaren model was produced, was also the facility involved with production of the Buick Grand National where the very first GNX was under wraps and reserved for the GM CEO (Roger Smith?). The ASC McLaren Mustang was produced on a separate assembly line. The Mustang chassis was originally produced by Ford as a LX 5.0L Coupe and then converted to the ASC McLaren Convertible model after modifications including windshield rake, ground effects, chassis reinforcement, manual cloth convertible top, rear seat removal, Mercedes style hard convertible boot, etc. I was literally able to walk the length of the assembly line and see every stage of the production status. At the end of the line, my dealership’s vehicle was waiting for me to take delivery. I took delivery and rode into the proverbial sunset to drive it back to Connecticut (about 750 miles) so that the Dealer Principal would have it in time to present to his fiancée for her birthday. I drove off with the top down as the weather was beautiful and every time I stopped for gas, other drivers asked me about the new “Mercedes” which was both interesting and amusing. And there were numerous times while driving back that other drivers on the highways would toot their horns and give me a thumbs up which made the drive back a lot of fun. I got back to CT around 6am the following morning, called the Dealer Principal to let him know, and we put together the plan to deliver the vehicle to his fiancé. I got some sleep, and the Dealer Principal sent our detailer to my condominium so that we could clean and detail the vehicle. I drove the vehicle that afternoon to the Dealer Principal’s house, about 45 minutes from the dealership, and parked the vehicle in an area behind the house where his fiancée usually parked and would see it. The two of us waited inside the house until she arrived, saw the vehicle and realized that there was a card placed under the windshield wiper. By then, the Dealer Principal had gone out to wish her a happy birthday and present the Mustang ASC McLaren as her surprise birthday present. She absolutely loved the car but there was another development about a month or so later. A very, very good customer of the dealership, with a collection of cars, was ready to buy another vehicle and saw the ASC McLaren. He wanted one and wasn’t willing to wait until we got our next Mustang ASC McLaren and let it be known to the Dealer Principal that if he wouldn’t sell him the fiancée’s car that he’d go spend his money elsewhere. As such, the Dealer Principal sold him the car, which his fiancée wasn’t happy about, but understood. She got the next Mustang ASC McLaren that arrived at the dealership a short time later. Overall, the dealership sold and delivered at least 15-20 Mustang ASC McLaren vehicles while the limited-edition vehicle was available. Edited March 24 by ice-capades Additional Content 4 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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