Summary

Only 1,600 ever built and very few left in this condition. The first retractable hardtop since the 1959 Ford Skyliner.

Details

When I purchased this car in November 2006, it was in excellent condition for a 12-year-old car. My intention was to completely restore it to better than new. So for the next year that is what I proceeded to do. First it went to the paint shop. The body was extremely straight but the paint was 12-years-old and needed freshened up. Any weather stripping and body moldings that were bad were replaced. Once it left the paint shop it went to the mechanic. There the electronically controlled suspension was replaced with fully adjustable K sport coilovers so the ride height could be lowered to improve the stance. The axle shafts were replaced as well as the motor mounts. The timing belt and water pump were replaced on schedule by the previous owner. This was confirmed by the mechanic. Since the ride height was now adjusted, I installed the 18' chrome wheels and 40 Series Goodyear tires to complete the exterior look. Then it was taken to the upholstery shop. There the factory leather was replaced with monogram KatSkin Leather. The carpeting was replaced as well as the floor mats. The inserts on the door panels were also replaced to match the new carpet and leather. From there it made its last stop at the stereo shop to get a brand new Clarion stereo with CD and Music Catcher. It can download and store your favorite songs from your personal CD's. It also has a SD slot so you can play music that you have downloaded from your home computer. The backlighting on the stereo has several different colors to choose from or it can just cycle through all of them. The speakers were replaced with JL Audio front and rear. Then to protect it, it has an all a brand new alarm with remote keyless entry. Since then the car has been stored inside and only driven to two local shows where it took first place both times. Since only 1,600 of these were ever produced and only 750 of them were the SL series versus the 850 VR4 series this car is extremely collectible. It sold new for about $58,000 and it was the first retractable hardtop since the 1959 Ford Skyliner. You will rarely ever see one on the street let alone at the local car show. Actual mileage 100,898 as of 3/3/08.