So, Who started Pro Touring?

[GregWeld]

So... Jeff... you trying to tell us YOU started PT??

[Scotch]

Ken Crocie's '64 GTO.
It was also featured in Hot Rod.
I remember he had it on 16s, low, with his own (HO Racing) springs/swaybars under it, and it pulled 1G on the skidpad. This was late '80s or so. Killer car he still had last time I asked.

[David Pozzi]

Guldstrand got me started!

[70rs]

Al Gore started it. AND the internet.

[deuce_454]

what is pro touring?... if pro touring is taking a musclecar and installing bigger/higher-horsepower engine, better suspension and brakes allong with a fancy paint job and some trick, race-looking interior pieces and perhaps a cage.. then Carol Shelby started it in 1965 with the mustang GT350... Big Red seems to me to be more of a full race car, and it was preceeded by both Car craft´s heavy metal and a bunch of other cars... AND wasnt there a Challenger in the 1972 canonball run with low profile tires and roadrace suspension.. if that isnt pro touring then i dont know what is....

[Tom Fuehrer]

Here is my swing at the start of PT.

I think Deuce is close - In my opinion what we refer to as Pro-Touring today would involve taking a popular and/or available car (as opposed to starting with a upper level car – i.e. Corvette, Ferrari, Porsche) and applying State of the Art aftermarket parts to it to increase the performance envelope. The modifications are done to personalize the car for the owner.

If you agree with this definition, the first PT car could be the Blue Maxi Camaro built by Car and Driver magazine in 1969. They took a (even then) popular car, a 1969 Camaro SS/RS. They added a high horse power small block motor to keep the nose from getting too heavy (the then exotic Corvette LT-1). The latest tires - Goodyear Polyglas G60’s and big stiff American 200S wheels, big brakes (JL8 4-wheel discs) and created a car that was “A 4 wheeled Saturn Rocket for your driving pleasure”.

Their goal was to create a Grand Tourer, inspired by Trans Am racers. Not far off from what we are doing today.







Tom

[rogue]

Originally Posted by David Pozzi

Guldstrand got me started!

sure as hell inspired me. Watching him grin ear to ear driving my car was so awesome.

[autoxcuda]

Originally Posted by chicane

1966... Dick Guldstrand... along with Dana Chevrolet and a few other cats in the LA basin. Although... Dick shoulud actually be credited with its roots in the late 50's with the Corvette.

I agree.

What year did Guldstrand open up his own shop?

What was his function at Dana Chevrolet. Did he do motor upgrades, handling upgrades, and/or just work on their racecars??

[rogue]

Originally Posted by autoxcuda

I agree.

What year did Guldstrand open up his own shop?

What was his function at Dana Chevrolet. Did he do motor upgrades, handling upgrades, and/or just work on their racecars??

His shop was first opened in 1968 named Guldstrand engineering in the infamous "Thunder Alley." Thunder Alley was originally an alley off Jefferson Blvd. in Culver City. Don't quote me on it but I think they moved to Burbank in the 90s.

I first discovered their shop getting some racing gloves and shopping for seats for the camaro. The safety and motorsports shop Werks 2 is next door to Guldstrand. I knew he was a legend and I was shocked to look over and see him in the shop, in a lab coat, still wrenching on cars. Awesome, it was right then I decided to have them rework my subframe and keep my car semi-traditional. Having someone like him put his stamp of approval on a car is worth more than any performance mod. I think its great he still loves being in the shop every day and dealing with the customers. He's a real firecracker. Wish I could get him out to a track day for some driving lessons and I'd even let him flog my car. It'd be awesome.

Considering he was the one that pioneered the suspension changes of the first gen camaros for the Penske Trans Am cars, I'd say hes the grandfather of everything we're doing today. Making muscle cars perform like they should!

As far as Dana Chevrolet:

Dick Guldstrand was very familiar with the 427 big block Chevy motor and the L-88 427 as well.
He previously raced the first L-88 Corvette at the 1966 24 Hours of Daytona for Roger Penske.
During the time that these photos were taken, a 1967 factory L-88 Corvette was being prepared
back at DANA Chevrolet to enter the 1967 24 Hours of Le Mans. He co-drove with Don Yenko and
Bob Bondurant at that legendary race. So setting up a street driven solid lifter 427 or even the
mighty L-88 427, was a piece of cake for Dick Guldstrand.
Dick Guldstrand was known as a chassis tuner. He was able to extract superb handling characteristics
from early Corvettes. Dick applied this same knowledge to the Camaro. Naturally, the suspensions were set up
to handle these massive amounts of power. The Dana Camaros could not only go fast in a straight line,
but they could also corner with the best of what was on the street back in 1967 and 1968.

[autoxcuda]

Originally Posted by rogue

His shop was first opened in 1968 named Guldstrand engineering in the infamous "Thunder Alley." Thunder Alley was originally an alley off Jefferson Blvd. in Culver City. Don't quote me on it but I think they moved to Burbank in the 90s.

I first discovered their shop getting some racing gloves and shopping for seats for the camaro. The safety and motorsports shop Werks 2 is next door to Guldstrand. I knew he was a legend and I was shocked to look over and see him in the shop, in a lab coat, still wrenching on cars. Awesome, it was right then I decided to have them rework my subframe and keep my car semi-traditional. Having someone like him put his stamp of approval on a car is worth more than any performance mod. I think its great he still loves being in the shop every day and dealing with the customers. He's a real firecracker. Wish I could get him out to a track day for some driving lessons and I'd even let him flog my car. It'd be awesome.

Considering he was the one that pioneered the suspension changes of the first gen camaros for the Penske Trans Am cars, I'd say hes the grandfather of everything we're doing today. Making muscle cars perform like they should!

As far as Dana Chevrolet:

We walked into his shop in 1989 looking for sponsors for our University High School auto shop Street Stock car we ran at Saugus. He sponsored us a full suspension and bushings. This was before energy and you had to use all your old shells. Those were a pain to install. I think he had those made especially for him.

The guy running his parts dept was really cool and helpful. I was trying to setup my Challenger for autocross at the time and he gave me some straight talk and advice. I think he wrote for the magazines at one time and later worked PR for Edlebrock. John Costa? or John something?

I drive by the old shop on Jefferson every week. I see the Speedway Pattern building is for lease.