[ACW]

Modified models: non-factory convertibles

• National Coach Engineering Convertible Trans Am (1978-1981) (In 1978, NCE of Michigan began converting Firebirds to convertibles. They put a serial number plate on the driver side door jamb. There were a lot of modifications done to these cars. The frame is reinforced from front to back with flat bar and one inch tubing, the front seats sit lower, the back seat is trimmed 1.5 inches on each side to make room for the top. The sun visors are closer together and the dome light is now at the end of the console. Even the spare tire is relocated. Completed versions carried a price tag in the neighborhood of $30,000, which is expensive even by today's standards. They built about 200 convertibles in 1979.)
• NCE Convertible 10th Anniversary Trans Am (1979) (Ten 1979 10th Anniversary cars were converted by NCE. They used a silver leather material for the top along with chrome struts for the top mechanism. In addition, they were also supposed to have a chrome roll-bar. Each one was numbered 1-10.)
• Custom Coach Convertible Trans Am (1980) (One 1980 converted by Custom Coach is known online, but there might have been more, possibly from additional years. The one known was originally owned by a Canadian.)
• Auto Forms Sport Roadster Convertible Firebird and Trans Am (1983-1986) (Auto Forms was a company that popped up in the early 80s. They provided a custom conversion service to convert a normal Firebird or Trans Am into a 2-seater roadster convertible. Auto Forms was a company based out of Elkhart, Indiana that performed convertible conversions on Firebirds. It is believe the conversions began in 1983 and were performed through early 1986. Autoform was sanctioned by GM and as such did conversions on both Firebirds and Camaros. The conversions were performed at two different facilities: one in Elkhart, Indiana and the other in Shawnee, Oklahoma. The conversion took about two weeks and cost an estimated $5500. Auto Forms worked directly with participating Pontiac dealers and did not accept customers off the street. New cars were drop shipped to one of the facilities and then delivered to the dealer for delivery to the customer. Year by year production is also not known but its believed that about 600 total cars were built between 1984 and 1986 including both Firebirds and Camaros. About 200 were produced each of those years. The conversion used an extended rear decklid that extended through the rear seating area to the front seats. The decklid was formed with two bullet shaped bulges that sat immediately behind each seat that provided both support for the head rest but also served to enhance the euro style race car look. The decklid was comprised of a 2-layer fiberglass laminate and opened up and back from the front so the top could be retracted for stowage. The rear portion of the decklid functioned as a trunk lid swinging open an external chromed hinges support by the struts re-used from the original glass hatch. The design maintained the size and space of the original trunk. The fiberglass panels came in stock Firebird colors: black, beige and red.)