tta conv ???

[turbojenni]

i remember reading in a magazine about 1989-1992 i think it was called musclecars of the 60's & 70's and eveyonce in a while they would also have a newer car in there and remember them running a story on a tta convertible supposedly 1 of 2 made and i think it was converted at asc? are these cars still around does anybody know about these besides me? just curious i looked through my magazine collection of about 2000 car magzines to try to find the article but i might of lost the magazine with the article since i moved a few times. thanks for the help

 

[The Swede]

There where only 1 made by the crew at PAS to the president of the company.

Owner of the car now is Rich"big dog"Van't Hof.

Car was a present to Jeff from the crew.

 

[The Swede]

Well.... i just throw in the link to some of Rich's cars, he is a part owner the wrold famous www.carmotorsports.com and you will find his collection at; http://www.carmotorsports.com/richtta.htm

 

[TTA850]

Originally posted by The Swede
There where only 1 made by the crew at PAS to the president of the company.

Just so we dont confuse him,there was 1 made by the crew at PAS, several others made by other owners, and NONE made by Pontiac or General Motors(so technicaly they are all aftermarket conversions, though done through ASC which eventually did the factory autherised firebird conversions in 1991-1992 )

Not looking to start an argument,just stating some facts.

Steve

 

[turbojenni]

FROM WHAT I REMEMBER OF THE ARTICLE THE CAR I SAW WAS DONE AT ASC? NOT BY ANY PRIVATE OWNER THIS CAR WAS NEARLY NEW AT THE TIME AND THERE WERE SUPPOSEDLY 2 CARS DONE AND 1 WAS SOLD AT A PONTIAC DEALERSHIP AND THE OWNER BOUGHT IT NEW FROM I REMEMBER. NOT LOOKING TO STIR ANYTHING UP HERE JUST CURIOUS IF ANYBODY MAYBE HAD OR SAW THE SAME ARTICLE I DID

 

[SHRPTTA]

Well Rich's car was actually done at ASC as well. It was pilot car #3, it was made into a vert then given to Jeff, it was the ONLY TTA SOLD as a convertible. Thats where the "only 1" thing comes from.

Car is absolutely beautiful, Ive been to Richs house and seen it first hand. He is a great guy and willing to share lots of info about these cars.

Phil

 

[TTA850]

Originally posted by SHRPTTA
Well Rich's car was actually done at ASC as well. It was pilot car #3, it was made into a vert then given to Jeff, it was the ONLY TTA SOLD as a convertible. Thats where the "only 1" thing comes from.

As much as I'd like to take your word on it, does anyone have proof showing where this car has Pontiac's or General Motors authorization as being built as a convertable?Or the RPO code for it being a convertable(this is something it cant have as Pontiac did not start autherizing convertable f-bodies till 1991).How about show me where in Pontiacs official TTA production numbers there is a convertable?

From what I understand,the pilot cars were built to show what the production run would look like,none of which were convertables.After pilot cars are built they are typically destroyed however these were purchased by PAS president and then sent to ASC to be converted.That alone makes it the only one owned by PAS president,but it's still one of none originally built and one of several that have been converted.

If I'm incorrect please prove me wrong,but untill I see actual proof IMHO it's just as much a modified car as my GTA is - meaning it is no longer in any way an original TTA and was modified aftermarket by the owner.

Steve

 

[Lee_Burough]

the 89TTA website has this to say on the subject :

Production Figures
Number Options
------------------------------------------------
1,324 T-Top & Leather Interior
187 T-Top & Cloth Interior
24 Hardtop & Leather Interior
15 Hardtop & Cloth Interior (Base)
------------------------------------------------
1,550 Total Production Cars

4 Pilot Cars with T-Top & Cloth Interior
1 Pilot Cars with Hardtop & Leather Interior
------------------------------------------------
5 Total Pilot (Pre-Production) Cars

================================================
1,555 Total Cars Built

The five pilot TTAs, because they were for pre-production use, were pulled off the Van Nuys assembly line without regard to color and, in fact, they were not white. Because at least two of these pilot cars were sold to private individuals, there are at least two extremely rare, non-white, factory TTAs in existence!

GM did not offer a factory convertible TTA. However, one was created by ASC for PAS president Jeff Beitzel. This car is unique in that its origins are shared with PAS stablemates Syclone and Typhoon and the ASC-built GNX. The world's only ragtop TTA has changed hands several times, and is presently owned by a wealthy Mexican oil baron who loves Pontiacs.

The convertible must have been sold again since the info at the website has been updated I tend to believe this account.


http://www.89tta.com/ttaspecs.htm#ProdFig

 

[SHRPTTA]

Well ALL the cars were finaliazed at PAS, once the five pilot cars were completed they were in fact sold. Rich Has all the documentation I suggest you email him for it. When I said it was sold as a vert I meant that since all the TTA's came fro PAS to dealers it went as a vert. it is not RPO'd as a vert, just considered the only vert because it was owned and done by PAS, the builders of the TTA.

 

[TTA850]

Originally posted by SHRPTTA
Well ALL the cars were finaliazed at PAS, once the five pilot cars were completed they were in fact sold. Rich Has all the documentation I suggest you email him for it. When I said it was sold as a vert I meant that since all the TTA's came fro PAS to dealers it went as a vert. it is not RPO'd as a vert, just considered the only vert because it was owned and done by PAS, the builders of the TTA.

So then like I said,it was the only one owned and sent to ASC by PAS - and is no more a factory TTA convertable than any of the others that were or could have been done by ASC should someone had wanted to.

Thats like saying my 89 GTA is 1 of 1 because it is the only one converted to 3.8 turbo by me.Or it's 1 of 1 because it's the only one I own.

See my point?
Steve

 

[SHRPTTA]

Well no, since prior to being sold by PAS, considered the manufacturer, notice the VIN is not like other pontiacs, it is then sold as a convertible, anyone who bought a TTA then had it converted at ASC had the same thing, the diff is simply that PAS , the manufacturer, had it done and sold it as such. its all symantics, each individual does things to his or her car,as you did, doesnt make it 1 of 1 because you are not the manufacturer.

 

[TTA850]

Technicaly PAS was not the manufacturer, and the VIN does not say PAS was.The vin says 1G5 meaning:1 - built in the US, G - manufactured by General Motors, 5 - completed by an outside vendor.See the third digit is the make not the manufacturer, the second digit is and G= General Motors. The third digit is the make, for example 1=Cheverolet, 2=Pontiac, ect.

Not trying to knock the car,actually I think it's kinda cool.But saying it's the only one they made(they being the factory),and is 1 of 1 is rediculous scince it is technically an aftermarket job done by whoever owned it at the time,be it a person or company such as PAS.

Steve

 

[SHRPTTA]

EXACTLY, "COMPLETED" by an outside vendor. There you have it!! PAS completed the car as a VERT, so you tell me , better yet just email RIch from the website above he has more paperwork from PAS to make us all look stupid.

 

[TTA850]

Well your not EXACTLY right.The vin number is given by the manufacturer and dictates the body style,which is something PAS could not have altered.

As an example I ran my hardtop car #884 on thirdgen.org
Here are the results for your query on: 1G5FW2170KL243607
Made in: United States
Manufacturer: General Motors
5 is NOT a known code for the Make!
Carline Code: F-Body
Carline Series: Trans Am, Formula
Body Type: 2 door coupe (hatchback)
Restraint System: Manual belts
7 is NOT a known Engine Code!
0 is the CHECK DIGIT
Model Year: 1989
Assembly Plant: Van Nuys
Production Sequence: 243607

Notice the body type, 2 door coupe(hatchback). I am fairly confident Rich's car would also come up as a 2 door coupe and not a 2 door convertable.PAS could not have manufactured it as a convertable scince the manufacturor,General Motors in this case,labeled it as a 2 door coupe.If a TTA was converted to convertable it was done so after it's completion,meaning it was aftermarket,which is all I've been trying to say.

As for emailing Rich,I belive he's on this site so lets let him straighten it out for everyone - as I'm sure there are others who would like to see proof.

Steve

 

[TTA850]

Before this continues,I'm not looking to argue and dont have all the info on the history of these cars - as I dont care.They are more fun to drive and race than let sit and look pretty.

I've stated my opinion and will leave it as so.

If you want to talk about making one run right or run fast I'll keep going,but I'm not going to continue over a moot point.

I'm done,
Steve

 

[1badTTA]

So technically if someone wanted to, they could purchase the rights to the PAS name, find a TTA that was never sold and still belongs to a dealer, convert it to a convertable in their "PAS" shop, and then it would be 1 of 2 made and could still be sold as a new car since it was titled and sold to begin with. Reality is that there were never any factory 3rd gen convertables, they were done by a third party just like the TTA's and since GM didn't give the authorization to produce a convertable TTA then this is all just a case of having the closest thing that isn't quite up to par as far as being a true factory TTA convertable but the way it was converted was more authentic than anything else. Basically it is just a signiture away from being real.

Don't get me wrong, I like the car and think it is obviously the rarest TTA, just too bad that GM didn't make the decision to make a few.

 

[JCSTTA]

There is a 2nd TTA that a dealer in California had converted by ASC to vert. Got the link to that info around here somewhere.

 

[SHRPTTA]

Originally posted by TTA850
I've stated my opinion and will leave it as so.

If you want to talk about making one run right or run fast I'll keep going,but I'm not going to continue over a moot point.

I'm done,
Steve

Exactly, this debate will never end, we just sit on different sides of the fence on this one. Its OK to do that. Healthy discussion!!

L8R

 

[fly89gta]

Originally posted by TTA850

Thats like saying my 89 GTA is 1 of 1 because it is the only one converted to 3.8 turbo by me.
See my point?
Steve

Not true, you helped me build mine

 

[BIGGDOGGTTA]

Hi Guys,

Hello there Phil...come visit again, more to see these days. Uffe...you need to make the long trip to better weather...love to see a Swede show these American drivers how to hook up. Steve, we still have the four(4) Car Covers you ordered waiting for you when you are ready....come visit and see the TTA Conv and the GTA Conv, happy to have you do so. Door is always open to other TTA/Turbo v-6 enthusiasts.

Someone sent me a link to this thread. Don't want to bore you with TTA Production History or TTA Convertible History here. But to clear things up on the 3rd Generation F-Body Convertible issues may be appropriate. 1987 was the first year for the Chevrolet offered Camaro in Convertible form. GM contracted ASC to do the Work/Conversion on the cars. This new car offering continued in the Camaro line through 1992. As for the Firebird line, Pontiac offered the Firebird in convertible form starting in 1989 using the same ASC Conversion as on the Camaro. About 300 Convertibles were produced in the Firebird line in 1989 with a mix of Firebird, Formula, trans Am and GTA Trans Am. This (1989) was the only year that the Convertible Option was available in the GTA Trans Am Model. The Convertible Option was not available in the Firebird line in 1990 but then reappeared in 1991 and remained through 1992.

All the best,

Rich...biggdoggtta