why pro touring???
 

Well it's Friday already & time to start to unwind for the weekend :yes: Thought maybe a little light hearted debate might be the order of the day like last weeks '69 camaro posting. Ok,...........so why have you progressed to owning/building a Pro-Touring car,.....

what has influenced you most,?
who has influenced you most,?
what car has influenced you most?

& given unlimited funds what would you buy/build? Would it still be PT or something waaaaay different? :)

where do you see the Pro Touring scene going in the future?


well there's just a few questions to get you started , have a good day:thumbsup:

Since you and I are the only ones awake we can start. Those people over in your colonies ar apparently still asleep :)

For me it was a natural step. I bought my car five years ago. I had been looking for many years for a '69 Camaro and this one turned up for sale. For many years I had seen the modern style on BMW's, Audi's, Mercedes' and so on with their high wheels and low profile tires on lowered suspensions. I guess they were influenced by the very popular European Salon Cars Championship cars, like the BTCC or DTM.

So I thought that a Camaro would look cool if the same style was applied to it. This was probably in 1996-97. One day I bought a Chevy Hi-Perf magazine because it had some cool Camaro on the cover, it was the Tucker's yellow car, I then learned that there already was something called Pro-Touring and it was exactly as I had been thinking about.

It took me a few years before I could move to a new house with a proper garage to make my dreams come true.

Now I have a cool Pro-Touring Camaro that has all the characteristics of a Pro-Touring car.

I have an insane addiction to speed. I'm just not afraid of it. Clowns on the other hand, I can do without. With my love of driving fast, came a bad habit of picking up speed through turns instead of slowing down for them. My 15x3.5" wheels aren't the best for that kind of driving, so I had to start building my car to handle my driving style. Hopefully it can keep up. :yes:

I was influenced by this Pro-touring scene by pure looks at first. I was like 15 and seeing cars like the Thrasher with the big wheels and disc brakes. I really had no idea the other capabilities at the time, but I loved the look of modern styling added to a muscle car.
I began talking with more and more people, lurking on Pro-touring.com and was just overwhelmed with all the new innovation and technology. I have been hooked.

I think the toughest question is where does it go next? It seems we are always pushing the envelope farther and farther with each car, and right now Turbos and LS1-2s are on the top of the list with Corvette suspsensions and such. But where it goes next? I think we will see more use of modern technology. Addition of electronic all-wheel drive, ways to better control the power that all-wheel drive offeres. Moving power from wheel to wheel around corners and to all four in the straights.

But honestly I have no clue...could be anything.

Okay I gotta go to work...Ill be back on there though!

Tim

I think you are right there Tim,

we have a lot of new high-tech to explore in our cars. Living in Europe we have all kinds of highpower, high-tech cars and all major German manufacturers has 400+ hp V8s or V10s in their line up. Combined with the rest of their driveline we could get some really fancy stuff in our cars.

Only future will tell.


Jan

Long before the term 'Pro Touring' existed, I was always interested in improving cars. I always modified brakes, exhaust, engine, suspension, ignition, etc even with my '73 240Z. The current camaro is another opportunity. It's so great that the aftermarket is very healthy for us all.

The first time I saw Big Red in a magazine (Oct. 88 I believe), I knew that was the direction for me. I love race cars and 69 Camaros, so the g-machine concept and styling cues were perfect - I had to do it.

Oh, and I still have that issue of Car Craft, too. :yes:

pro-tour
 

Well,

you have to go back a ways for me because I have always been into anything that I can ride or drive. "Gumball Rally" started it for me. I always wanted a car I could race accross the US. It had to be fast on the top end and be able to carry the speed through the corners. Since I was young and could only afford 1 car at a time, my car had to do it all. I liked to street race, auto cross and late night banzi runs down the interstate. I have been building all of my cars since I have been 16(I am 40 now) in a pro-touring style. Obviously I was using cars that gave me a good starting point...corvette.

Like Scott, when I saw Big Red in 88 it was time to build an old style car that could do it all instead of cheating with the new stuff.

Where is pro-touring going? I have no idea. The power levels have elevated to the insane. The cars handle like race cars 10 years ago.

Next step would be grafting an aircraft cockpit, all wheel drive and a formula one motor.

Seriously, I think the ground effects kit that Tyler is designing will be the next big thing. Seeing so many 1st gen camaros with the only visible difference from the outside is paint color or wheel choice.(nobody is modifying the bodies). Would be a step in the right direction. A bolt on kit that does not permantly alter the body. I am all over that one.

What has influenced you most,?
--Simultaneous exposure to hot rods and exotic supercars. I am equally blown away by both. Having grown up in NYC, movies and magazines had more influence than actual cars and events.

Who has influenced you most,?
--Dad, Brock Yates, Enzo Ferrari, Mark Donahue, Hal Needham, George Barris, Bill Mitchell (former GM styling chief), Bill Mitchell (former employer) Lil' John Buttera, Dr. Ferdinand Porsche, Jeff Smith. It's a long list. Oh and when I was four, my brother stuck chewing gum all over the wheels of my my Tonka truck. It really pissed me off and I guess the obsession began.

What car has influenced you most?
--Ferrari 365 Daytona, Big Red, Porsche 930 RSR, Ferrari F40, Penske Trans Am Camaros, The Bandit T/A, The General Lee.

Given unlimited funds what would you buy/build? Would it still be?
--It will be PT. I'm working on the "Unlimited Funds" thingie.

Where do you see the Pro Touring scene going in the future?
--The true spirit will become diluted as only the basic cues are adapted to mainstream hot rods. With increasing regularity, the term will be slapped on pretty much anything with 17" diameter or larger wheels. At the same time, a select few will continue to adapt sophisticated technology (i.e. active suspension) and building techniques (i.e. full frame chassis) to their rides.

How'd I do?
/Steevo

I have always liked 69 Camaros. I have always thought that cars should do more than go fast in a straight line. They should be able to go wherever, whenever and be comfortable to do it in. When I saw Kevin King's Year One NOV8TR 69 Camaro I knew that's what I wanted to do. I haven't yet, but at least I have the car!