The Ford Mustang is one of the most iconic vehicles of all time thanks to its recognizable consistency. Throughout its many generations, it has always been a sporty four-seater grand tourer that could be bought in semi-boring commuter spec or a wild performance variant. Obviously, this is a generalization, but it sets up what makes today’s bafflingly named ASC McLaren Mustang a true oddball. It’s a two-seater Mustang droptop!
I tend to view almost any Mustang a bit like modern Miatas. They’re fun cars that I’m glad to have around, but it takes a truly bonkers build or properly rare variation to impress me. This unusual Mustang roadster really plays with your mind because it takes a moment of gazing to realize why it doesn’t compute. It was actually the non-standard steeply-raked windshield that initially drew me in. Then, I made a lap around the car in utter confusion before I noticed the baffling ASC McLaren badges on this car.
With a total production of 1,806 between 1987 and 1990, the American Sunroof Company didn’t manage to chop up very many Fox Body Mustang coupes before it shelved the project. That’s right. Despite Ford offering a factory convertible, ASC didn’t even start with the advantage of the factory stiffening. Perhaps due to ASC’s design work beginning in 1983, the same year the official Mustang convertible was launched.
Regardless, the increased rake of the windshield and vastly smaller greenhouse combined with its two-seater nature transforms this Mustang into something resembling a sporty roadster rather than a grand tourer.
So where does McLaren come in? Well, the McLaren in question is not related to the entity currently racing in F1. The story of their involvement is a bit muddy, but almost all modifications are cosmetic only. So it appears that McLaren name’s association with chassis and engine tuning was wasted in this endeavor. Which makes it a bit of a spiritual predecessor to today’s Rousch-tuned Fords. The notable difference between these appearance-focused conversions is that ASC created an entirely unique roadster conversion as the main selling point rather than simply being an aftermarket parts catalog package.
It’s notable that two small companies managed to associate to crank out 1,806 aftermarket convertibles in three short years based on a car that had a different, cheaper, and more practical convertible from the factory. However, it’s perhaps more unexpected that I found one of these rare and sought-after models street parked in an Atlanta residential neighborhood with all the hallmarks of a car that lives outside. It has black duct tape sealing that custom-raked windshield, several bumper scuffs and dents, a lightly sun-baked interior with ripped seats, and a clunky steering lock keeping it from disappearing overnight.
Besides the lack of rear seats and inconveniently low windshield, it was a rather normal 5.0 Mustang underneath. This particular example has an automatic, making it better suited for city traffic. For a rare example of one of the weirder Mustangs to ever be produced (even if it wasn’t by Ford), I applaud the enthusiast who owns this car for driving it and loving it.
Are you sure its McLaren the automotive company, and not McLaren the Children’s Pram maker ?
That folding top looks familiar.
Does it look like a Mustang anymore? Almost resembles some obscure late ’80s GM prototype. Maybe, a big brother for the Reatta.
Never did like these.
I always loved fox bodies, but not so much the convertibles. I’ll take a nice 4-eye hatch GT, thank you. The McLarens have a sort of Mercedes SL vibe that I think they were going for.
Amazing to find one of these on the streets! I recall there was quite a bit of excitement when these first came out, but then their memory quickly faded. I haven’t seen one in decades (and I’m pretty sure that by the late 1990s, most of the remaining McLaren Mustangs had those dark headlight covers).
They were too niche and too exotic to often find their way into the hands of more casual owners, I imagine. Yet here one is with an old fashioned steering lock bar and parked on the street.
This is a spectacular find. I had the thought that maybe these converted Mustangs were intended to help defray the costs of developing the ’86 ASC McLaren Capri convertible, but those cars (in stock form or otherwise) have many body parts not shared with Mustangs. I love the ’86 ASC Capri, which would actually be my preference, but I’d also be happy with one of these Mustangs.
That is my presumption as well; the Mclaren started as a customized souped up Capri – which is a bit more distinct since there never was a production Capri convertible – but after the Mustang based Capri was discontinued the basic components were simply transferred over to Mustang based conversions
Also of note regarding McLaren there was a Capri hatch Mclaren that had many performance modifications concurrent to the Capri convertible.
I always thought the roof on this (and the Capri-based predecessor) was lifted directly from the R107 Mercedes roadsters. Upon closer inspection, it can’t possibly be a Mercedes part (or direct crib thereof) because the size and proportions are not right.
Yet still, the top still feels like it was “inspired by” the R107 roof. Then again, maybe it’s just the 3-window backlight, which was certainly not unique to Mercedes even when it was introduced in ’72.
The inspiration seems to have been to make an American Mercedes SL competitor. It wasn’t exactly in the same market segment as a Corvette convertible but it was close. Yet it clearly follows closer to the Mercedes tradition than the Detroit competition.