ASC-Designed Roadster to Rewrite Street-Rodding History - A Convertible and Comfor...

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COLUMBUS, Ohio, July 11 /PRNewswire/ -- Attention, street-rodders and
would-be rodders put off by the notion of being caught in the rain with your
top off, or just plain frustrated by a lack of room in your rod for your bod:
Your prayers have been answered. ASC Incorporated, a full-service specialty-
vehicle development partner for automotive manufacturers, and Hot Rods &
Horsepower, a manufacturer and marketer of steel bodies and components for the
street-rod industry, today jointly unveiled a running prototype of a modern-
convertible-top, roomier-on-the-inside all-steel replica of the legendary 1932
Ford "Deuce," by far the most popular form of hot rod ever. This modern-day
interpretation of a timeless classic, to be called the Dearborn Deuce(TM)
Convertible, was jointly developed for Hot Rods & Horsepower, and will be
available to the public in June 2004. The unveiling of the Pearlescent Orange
prototype with a black top took place here today at the Goodguys Rod & Custom
Association's Nationals show, which is expected to attract more than 75,000
auto enthusiasts to the Ohio State Fairgrounds over the weekend.
(Photo: http://www.newscom.com/cgi-bin/prnh/20030711/DEF002-a
http://www.newscom.com/cgi-bin/prnh/20030711/DEF002-b
http://www.newscom.com/cgi-bin/prnh/20030711/DEF002-c
http://www.newscom.com/cgi-bin/prnh/20030711/DEF002-d
http://www.newscom.com/cgi-bin/prnh/20030711/DEF002-e )
"ASC is proud to be partnering with Hot Rods & Horsepower in bringing this
game-changing niche vehicle to market," said Paul Wilbur, chief executive
officer of ASC. "Anyone who knows anything at all about hot rods, or has
listened to even a few Beach Boys songs, knows all about the seminal
importance of the 'Deuce' in rodding culture. Yet, until now, virtually all
of the Deuce rebuilds and replicas out there have suffered from the 'What-if-
I-take-off-my-removable-hard-top-and-then-it-rains?' dilemma, plus the lack of
real side windows or leg room for anyone taller than the average person back
in '32. This vehicle addresses all those issues in a thoroughly modern design
that is at the same time painstakingly true to the classic original. And more
than that, this project is itself an example of how at ASC we're encouraging
our designers and engineers to sharpen their creativity in all sorts of ways
-- ways that can benefit our traditional OEM customers as well."
Perhaps the best way to think of this vehicle is as a brand-new 1932 car,
built using today's design, engineering and manufacturing technologies. The
centerpiece of the design is a folding soft top that fully disappears under a
flip-up "tulip-lid" body panel affording the comfort of a true convertible.
The thoroughly modern top also comes up just as easily, in case of inclement
weather or for coupe-style cruising. This design also features power side
windows, thanks to a clever redesign of the "A" pillars that allows for fully
functional side glass while still retaining the slick, classic look of a
curved windshield and curved roadster-style doors.
Meanwhile, the doors themselves have been lengthened three-and-a-half
inches versus the original Deuce, allowing for much easier ingress and egress,
while the front seats have been repositioned back two inches, allowing for
many a knee to be finally stretched out in true comfort. Completing the basic
package is a highly reinforced 1x3-inch X-member frame, a flat metal floor, a
recessed firewall and a full-metal dashboard and overlapping curved cowl that
flow seamlessly into the curved doors.
"This new Dearborn Deuce Convertible will be a fantastic complement to Hot
Rods & Horsepower's recently introduced three-window Dearborn Deuce Coupe,"
said Craig Knight, Co-Principal of Hot Rods & Horsepower. "It's a very
practical, 21st Century version of a 1930s classic. And we will be
manufacturing the car, with continuing technical assistance from ASC,
employing 21st Century technologies as well. From the special support systems
designed to provide exceptional torsional rigidity, to 'white-light-scan' CAD
surfacing allowing for ultra-precise fabricating, this car will be one that
fits the more sophisticated needs of today's owner, builder or someone just
thinking about getting into rodding for the first time. This car allows
either the novice or veteran to step up into a whole new level of rodding, at
a cost no higher than that associated with lower levels of the sport."
Fully assembled, fully upgradeable bodies with the convertible-top
mechanisms will be priced between $18,500 and $20,000, it was announced.
ASC president of Creative Services Mark Trostle, himself a Deuce roadster
owner, said, "The '32 Ford, Ford's first post-Model A design, is regarded as
the definitive hot rod, owing in no small part to its powerful-looking body
and fender lines. It was truly a classic not just in automotive design, but
in all industrial design. Our goal was to forge a more 'user-friendly'
version of that design, yet while retaining that timeless, classic look. All
in all, the only 'carryover' designs on the car are the deck lid and the lower
cowl panel, but you'd certainly never guess that by looking at the car, which
retains all the authenticity of the original. Our people at ASC, many of them
hot-rodders as well, poured their hearts and souls into this car, and the
things they've learned along the way will indeed benefit all of our specialty-
vehicle customers down the road."
Founded in 1965 and headquartered in Southgate, Mich., ASC's award-winning
programs include vehicle development and sub-assembly of the Chevrolet Super
Sport Roadster (SSR); convertible systems for the BMW Z4, Toyota Solara and
Mitsubishi Eclipse; and numerous appearance and body packages for such
products as the Dodge SRT-4, Dodge Viper, RT-10 Dodge Ram Truck, Pontiac Grand
Am and Chevrolet TrailBlazer. The company employs more than 1,000 car nuts at
11 facilities in the U.S. and Germany, and is on the Web at
http://www.ascglobal.com . Contact: Jeff Steiner, +1-734-246-0171 or +1-810-623-1879
(mobile), [email protected] .
Hot Rods & Horsepower, of Branford, Conn., is the wholly owned marketing
subsidiary of The Dearborn Manufacturing Company, and is on the Web at
http://www.hotrodsandhorsepower.com . The companies are dedicated to manufacturing
and selling the highest-quality steel bodies and components available in the
street-rod industry. Current products include the Dearborn Deuce(TM), the
first, and only, mass-produced all-steel '32 three-window coupe body currently
available in the market; the Dearborn Deuce Original Dash(TM), another first,
complete with glove box and ashtray; and Dearborn Deuce '32 front fenders.


SOURCE ASC Incorporated
Web Site: http://www.ascglobal.com
http://www.hotrodsandhorsepower.com
Photo Notes: NewsCom:
http://www.newscom.com/cgi-bin/prnh/20030711/DEF002-a
http://www.newscom.com/cgi-bin/prnh/20030711/DEF002-b
http://www.newscom.com/cgi-bin/prnh/20030711/DEF002-c
http://www.newscom.com/cgi-bin/prnh/20030711/DEF002-d
http://www.newscom.com/cgi-bin/prnh/20030711/DEF002-e PRN Photo
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