Wow, it's not a Buick, but this 1967 Mustang is fascinating and supposedly very rare.And, last but not least it's on 'daBay where we can all see just how high the bidding goes!
Wow, I guess it was rare enough to get snatched up pretty quickly! From what I could recall, it was done by a guy named Ben Davis? who built a prototype for Ford, and when they decided not to produce the car because it had a manual instead of power top, he went on to sell the hardtop as a conversion project. The interesting thing is that they had to stretch the rear of the car to fit the top in the trunk! If you look at this one pic, you can kinda tell.
From what I've read the first prototype needed extended length in the trunk but they later revised the design to avoid this. It obviously requires a taller trunk lid which has a continental look in back. I think Ford really screwed up on this one. It's a great idea and I think it would've sold like hotcakes if they built it. They did a survey and asked people if they'd prefer power or un-powered and everyone said powered. Well of course they'd say that. If they'd asked unpowered for $1,000 over base or powered for $6,000 over base they would've gotten a different answer. The roof has torsion rods to make the effort of raising and lowering the roof much easier. The designers 125 pound secretary could operate it easily. I think the manual version would've been cheaper than the convertible to produce. They also developed a stiffening kit that was superior to the convertible and is still available as a kit. I've dealt with the complexities of a powered roof for more than 15 years. The idea of a simple roof that never needs to be replaced and tucks neatly away without a vinyl boot cover is very appealing. The roof would seal better and it can be insulated and sound proofed. It also won't drum and flap as traditional roofs will at highway speeds. For me the only weakness in this design is the rear window looks a bit goofy, but it's glass instead of plastic. I'd love to have one of these. I've actually seen a couple come up on eBay this year, but they have always been collector items, they are in great shape and draw huge bucks. This one is the prettiest color combination I've seen. John
