ASC Inc. and the Industrial Designers Society of America Usher in Woodward Dream Cruise with Glimpse at What Cruisers of Tomorrow Might Look Like

ASC Design Guru Mark Trostle to Discuss History and Future of Specialty Cars

At The Bosco restaurant in Ferndale on Thursday, August 14

WHO: Mark Trostle, president of Creative Services at ASC Incorporated, will be addressing the Detroit Chapter of the Industrial Designers Society of America (IDSA). The IDSA is a national organization dedicated to communicating the value of industrial design to society, business and government.

Once a sunroof maker, ASC now specializes in quick-to-market, low-volume, high-image, specialty vehicle design, engineering and manufacturing for its OEM partners. ASC is responsible for much of the design, engineering and manufacturing on the new Chevy SSR for General Motors Corporation. Other OEM programs include: convertible systems for the BMW Z4, Toyota Solara and Mitsubishi Eclipse; and numerous appearance and body packages for vehicles such as the Dodge SRT-4, Dodge Viper, RT-10 Dodge Ram, Pontiac Grand Am and Chevrolet TrailBlazer.

WHAT: Trostle will discuss the critically important, yet largely overlooked, role that specialty vehicles have played in the history of the auto industry, from the first Louis Chevrolet-modified Model Ts to the Ford Mustang to the Dodge Viper to today's Chevy SSR and beyond. He will also discuss the youth-market trends such as the rise of the "JDM" (Japanese Domestic Market) movement on the West Coast, plus the rapidly-growing tuner market and how automakers might better reach this "fast & furious" segment.

ASC will have two of its marquee vehicles on display: The 1987 GNX-edition Buick Grand National, which was one of the fastest 0-60 m.p.h. vehicles on the road in the late '80s, and the new Chevy SSR, which is scheduled to hit the market in a matter of weeks.

WHERE: The Bosco, 22930 Woodward, Ferndale (248-541-8818). The restaurant is located near the intersection of Woodward Avenue and Nine Mile Road.

WHEN: Thursday, August 14. Cocktails will be served at 6 p.m. The formal presentation begins at 7 p.m.