If you’ve ever owned a Triumph Stag, Toyota MR2 or a Pontiac Firebird, you’re probably a fan of the stylish T-top, which is a feature of these classics and a dozen or so other marques over the past few decades.
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So just how long has this nifty design feature been with us?
Surprisingly not long at all, considering that most later day innovations can generally be traced back to before World War II, which for the most part, put wheels under most of us.
The basic design was patented by Gordon Buehrig on June 5, 1951, and first appeared on an eye catching prototype by TASCO, the name being an acronym for The American Sports Car Company… pretty fitting I reckon!
Backed by a group of investors the company wanted to produce an American sports car that could compete with the all conquering European marques at an upcoming European-type event at the legendary American Watkins Glen circuit.
Starting with a modified chassis from a 1947 Mercury, they installed a heavily modified Ford V8, that churned out a then lusty 150 hp of grunt. Wow!
This was covered with a streamlined aluminium body with fibreglass guards enclosing the front and rear wheels, the front wheel guards turning with the steering.
But the ‘piece de resistance’ was the new fangled T-top, which featured two removable Plexiglass panels.
To many, it was a body only a mother could love, but to me, from many angles, especially in profile, it bears more than a passing resemblance to an art deco era Bugatti. So I like the TASCO and admire Mr. Buehrig’s flair and style!
So it’s no surprise to me to learn that some of his earlier works include two iconic personal favourites, the 1935 Auburn Speedster and the awesome Cord 810/812, which was subsequently recognised for its originality by the Museum of Modern Art in 1951.
Sadly the TASCO never got past the prototype stage, which now lives on at the A-C-D (Auburn,Cord, and Duesenberg) Museum in Indiana.
Initial development and production costs had escalated to a whopping $57,000, and based on this, the best guess target price/sticker price was in the vicinity of around $7500. Considering Raymond Loewy’s beautiful and desirable Studebaker Golden Hawk of the mid 1950s, with its Packard based 352 cu.in. V8 under the bonnet, had a sticker price of around $3000, I reckon cutting to the chase when they did was prudent… sadly!
In 1968 Buehrig sued General Motors for breach of patent, when their 1968 Corvette incorporated his T-top.
Vale TASCO.
