American Specialty Cars

Template:Short description Template:More citations needed {{#invoke:Infobox|infobox}}Template:Template otherTemplate:Main other{{#invoke:Check for clobbered parameters|check|nested=1|template=Infobox company|cat=Template:Main other|name; company_name|logo; company_logo|logo_alt; alt|trade_name; trading_name|former_names; former_name|type; company_type|predecessors; predecessor|successors; successor|foundation; founded|founders; founder|defunct; dissolved|hq_location; location|hq_location_city; location_city|hq_location_country; location_country|num_locations; locations|areas_served; area_served|net_income; profit|net_income_year; profit_year|owners; owner |homepage; website }}{{#invoke:Check for unknown parameters|check|unknown=Template:Main other|preview=Page using Template:Infobox company with unknown parameter "_VALUE_" | ignoreblank=y | alt | area_served | areas_served | assets | assets_year | aum | brands | company_logo | company_name | company_type | defunct | dissolved | divisions | embed | equity | equity_year | fate | footnotes | headquarters | former_name | former_names | foundation | founded | founder | founders | genre | homepage | hq_location | hq_location_city | hq_location_country | incorporated | image | image_alt | image_caption | image_size | image_upright | income_year | industry | ISIN | key_people | location | location_city | location_country | locations | logo | logo_alt | logo_caption | logo_class | logo_size | logo_upright | members | members_year | module | name | native_name | native_name_lang | net_income | net_income_year | num_employees | num_employees_year | num_locations | num_locations_year | operating_income | owner | owners | parent | predecessor | predecessors | production | production_year | products | profit | profit_year | rating | ratio | revenue | revenue_year | romanized_name | services | subsid | subsidiaries | successor | successors | traded_as | trade_name | trading_name | type | website| qid | fetchwikidata | suppressfields | noicon | nocat | demo | categories }} American Specialty Cars (commonly known as ASC or American Sunroof Company) was an automobile supplier of highly engineered and designed roof systems, body systems and other specialty-vehicle systems for the world’s automakers. The company was headquartered in Warren, Michigan, in the United States and was one of several coach convertible builders. ASC sold assets to its Creative Services division in late 2016 to Roush Industries. In late June 2017, ASC effectively ceased operations, laying off all staff and had tooling and production equipment removed from the manufacturing plant in Lexington, Kentucky.

Founding

The company was founded by Heinz Prechter in Los Angeles, California as the American Sunroof Company in 1965. In 2004, the aftermarket sunroof business was sold to Inalfa, and the company changed its name from American Sunroof Company to American Specialty Cars, with a "new emphasis on handling design, engineering and manufacturing of low-volume niche vehicles".<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref>

All employees were terminated June 27, 2017 and ASC ceased operations. Major manufacturing operations were sourced to other suppliers, mainly Toyota and FCA, effectively shutting down production operations.

Products

Porsche 944 S2 Cabriolet (1991)

In 1983 the Ford Flair ASC Concept was presented, built by ASC.<ref>Template:Cite book</ref>

The first generation Saab 900 cabriolet was developed by ASC and first unveiled as a 1983 concept car.<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref><ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref>

In 1984 ASC built and marketed the ASC McLaren, a convertible version of the Mercury Capri, licensing the McLaren brand. This was followed by an ASC/McLaren Mustang convertible. and an ASC/McLaren Pontiac Turbo Grand Prix<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref>

In 1984, ASC built a concept car called the Vision, featuring a glass roof with a semi circular sunroof that dropped down and rotated to sit below the roof glass.<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref>

In 1986, ASC built prototypes of a Chevrolet Corvette ZR-1 convertible.

From 1989, ASC manufactured the Porsche 944 Cabriolet at its factory in Weinsberg, Germany.<ref>Template:Cite book</ref>

In 1993 ASC created a Cadillac Seville coupe concept car.<ref>Template:Cite book</ref>

In 1994 ASC and Heuliez built a prototype for a Citroen ZX convertible.<ref>Template:Cite book</ref>

In 2004 ASC unveiled the Helios concept, a four-door convertible version of the Chrysler 300C.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref>

External links

• American Sunroof Corporation (West Coast) (archived website)