I can't believe GM didn't go for this

I have been a car nut since 4. In the 47 years I have been in the car business I have bought & sold several thousand, restored many and built 80 cars of my own design. I founded Sunrise Automobile Corporation in 1980 at the suggestion of my attorney & some investors (long since departed) and have been building vehicles, selling, collecting, restoring, and appraising them under that business entity ever since. I have always considered my cars my art and at 65 am thinking it is time for others to enjoy or do something with some of the things I have acquired & kept over the years. The Sunrise Racer as this car is referred to is the only one in the world and was produced by Sunrise Automobile Corporation as a prototype for a line of cars that could be sold through GM dealers in much the same way as stretch limousines sometimes are and convertibles produced by ASC once were. Unfortunately GM was not open to the idea and I was not in a position to build them on my own at that time-so my wife drove it for a year (it is the only car I have built that my wife has driven consistently) and we played with it for several years until it just got parked. Outside storage took a toll and so I decided to restore and upgrade it a bit. I had a new German canvas top made for it & had it painted. Had I originally painted it black instead of yellow The outcome might have been completely different and many more might have been built-as it is really cool looking in black; although even in the yellow it turned a lot of heads and gained favorable comments. The Racer started life as a 93 Buick Skylark with the 3.1 liter V-6, automatic transmission, air conditioning and power everything. The Buick was shortened approximately 12 inches, reinforced , given a Pontiac Grand Am rear clip, and had a very unique hardtop fabricated for it. The hardtop is disguised as a convertible top with the rear power windscreen used for support. When the top is off it fits in the trunk (as shown in a couple of the pictures). The top windscreen idea is one I maybe should have patented & promoted. The racer only has 43,140 miles on it (I have put about 10,000 miles on it since it was built) so the basic drive train should be trouble free for quite some time; although some ancillary items (think alternator , starter, etc) may require some maintaince in the future due to the long storage period-the water pump was just replaced for that reason. It is drivable as it is, but will still need some work. If I were to keep it I would replace the rear springs (when I built it I adjusted the ride height by heating them and while the ride is ok they look horrible underneath), there are a few minor trim pieces that have been misplaced, some fit issues withthe top behind the windows (the flap doesn't quite meet the glass and needs a snap or velcrow) and the windshield wiper motor or switch needs to be replaced as the wipers operate intermitently in only one position, also it feels like one of the brakes is locking up at times. All in all it is a car that can be enjoyed immensely by the right person, could benefit from some more TLC and would be a conversation piece and interesting addition to any collection. In addition to photos of this car I have included some photos of some other cars I have built. When I approached GM with my idea I got my final rejection letter from John Grettenberg the then head of Cadillac-so I like to think it got some serious consideration. I think I still have that letter as I have never thrown it away and if I can find it will include it and any promotional materials I can find for the new owner.

http://cgi.ebay.com/ebaymotors/Sunrise-Racer-Aprototype-roadster-built-GM-platform-the-only-one-NO-RESERVE-/120898222753?pt=US_Cars_Trucks&hash=item1c26187aa1#v4-41

I want the two minutes that I spent reading that back.

You CAN polish a turd.

Lawdy that's ugly!!!!

well.. some ideas don't die.. the new BMW Six series uses a similar style rear window for the top.. I think the solstice did too?

Appleseed wrote: You CAN polish a turd.

Yes you can. But it is still just a shiny turd!!

Similar to beggars can't be choosers... In practice Beggars can be choosers. If I was a beggar and was offered sulfuric acid for lunch. I would say no thank you.

I can't remember the last time I saw one of those bird-nosed Skylarks. Clearly, they didn't have a very long lifespan.

Most convertibles look better with the top down, that one would look better upside down.

What the berkeley is that!!

Glad GM took the "pass" on that one as they would have gone bankrupt years ago. That thing is ugly as E36 M3.

Most of those Skylarks ended up in rental fleets. For good reason.

I don't know why he thinks folding a top up and putting it in the trunk is either his invention or a good thing. The early MGB's worked that way and it was a major PITA.

I smell a lot of self-delusion here.

I'll share.

His wife drove it all the time? I bet it was with a bag over her head.

Mother of all creatures great and small, that thing is HIDEOUS. I'm surprised GM didn't ask Ted Kaczynski to write the final rejection letter.

The phrase, "flowing body lines" is wasted here.

I don't know, with the top down it's not THAT.......

oh hell, nevermind, I can't even troll off something that ugly!

so what part of "sunrise racer" is the racer part of that car?

mad_machine wrote: so what part of "sunrise racer" is the racer part of that car?

You race home and into the garage so that no one actually sees you in that thing.

Like every other convertible ever it looks ok with the top down but hideous with the top up.

hey thats challenge priced.....

You can almost hear his wife mumbling through her teeth in the pictures "Get this thing out of my Driveway"..

i'm thinking it wouldn't look so bad if he had started with a 2 door and kept the whole car a Skylark instead of grafting the back half of a 2 door Grand Am onto the back of a Skylark 4 door..

speaking of oddball 2 seater GM cars, i saw not one, but two Geo Metro convertibles yesterday. yeah. i know they aren't really "GM" cars in the literal sense of the word, but the Geo badge does have a Chevy bowtie in the middle... i never noticed that they were only 2 seaters until i saw those cars (both in the Wal Mart parking lot parked about 100 feet from each other) yesterday...