Lateral-g Forums - So, Who started Pro Touring?

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Big Red is a race car. There have been race cars for many years. For someone to say Big Red is the father, needs to look back to the Sunoco Camaros.

I really think the Mule if the grandfather of "Pro Touring" as we know it. The Mule carried the torch for many years, and a lot of it was due to the noterity from the magazine coverage, and not to mention it is a badd ass car. The Mule was the most reconizable Pro Touring car on the planet.

Today, I have to say Bad Penny carries the torch as the most reconizable Pro Touring car on the planet. And rightfully so.

Quote:

Originally Posted by musclecarjohn (Post 214095)

Gotta be Steilow's first one lap Camaro currently owned by Jeff (screen name jeff-san),car is local and I still see it occasionally.

Tri-Tip ... and I've got no idea how that car got it's name, either.

Cheers,
Mary Pozzi

i think it was actually built in the mid to late 1990s. featured in hot rod, by some metal fabricators.

i dont know who started pt, but i do remember how many were against it. that is very vivid. i remember pulling into local cruise nights shotgun in my friend's 70 camino with 16x8 vintage wheel works and you could feel the anger. "how dare they "rice rocket" that chevy!"

Frank, you're right, the Sunoco Camaros would be right there as race cars with Big Red. That just happened to be one of the first I can recall having "the look and stance" so it came to mind. The Sunoco Camaros and all of the cars of that era that they raced against were very cool indeed, but were purpose built race cars.
If "pro-touring" includes any make and manufacturer then it's anyones guess who was first. I remember seeing Datsun 510's that were street cars but looked and performed like race cars back in the early 80's/ late 70's.
One of my best friends had a '65 Mustang fastback that was every bit the pro touring car. 289,C4, 9 inch, flared fenders, Shelby race style GT350 front end, rear brake cooling scoops (functional), this car had a full interior with a roll bar, sub frame connectors and 4 wheel discs, it sat VERY close to the ground and handled great and hauled ass. Just ask the local PD about him and his cars. That was too fun!
This was back in '84. It's just that no one called it pro touring then.
My point is that pro touring has been around since someone decided to build a road car to simulate a race car. A very long time either way.

I don't know who started it, but the Stielow built cars of the early 90s made it "mainstream".

I don't think you can nail it down to a specific car... People have been attempting to make their cars go faster and corner better since the 2nd car was built.

The styling and technology have changed, but the intentions have been the same forever.

Quote:

Originally Posted by CamaroPat (Post 214184)

I don't know when it was built, but looks to me like early '70s. That pre-dates most of the stuff mentioned here by quite a while. This isn't a new concept, we're just taking it to new levels.

The black Charger was featured in the very same issue of Hot Rod that had Stielow's Red Witch in it. It ran 191 MPH with a 505 hp 440 big block. Nothing exotic, just simple and cool. And fast. Love that car :hail:

I'd say it was Stielow's Red Witch that started the pro touring craze. I still remember the first time I saw the car on the pages of Hot Rod. How perfectly the ZR-1 wheels fit the classic body and how menacing it looked. First main stream car with classic muscle car looks combined with modern wheels and tires, had a stereo and A/C and amazing performance. I still have that issue of Hot Rod and I think I need to get a reprint some time in the future because I must've read that issue thousands of times and it's starting to come apart :lol:

Stielow, in my opinion, was the creator. Red Witch was and still is one of my favorites. That car just has the look. I know the Mule was a much better car but the Red Witch just got everything right for me. I probably had more time invested in staring at it in that issue of Hot Rod than Stielow had in building it. You've got to remember, he was building these cars when there was no where near the after-market support we have today. His cars were fabricated, not bolt together cars like most of the ones built today.

I don't know where it fits in the pro-touring timeline but Detroit Speed's Twister Camaro definitely influenced where I wanted to take my Camaro. It may be that it helped begin the pro-touring aftermarket. (again, I don't know if thy were the first to mass produce pro-touring parts but they were the first I stumbled upon).

It's much older than you think - The Amish started it to get more cornering and braking performance from their wagons so they could impress the ladies.

They are also to blame for the Donk fad when they put 26" wagon wheels on their buggies.