Pro-Touring is a style of classic
muscle car
A muscle car is an American-made two-door sports coupe with a powerful engine, marketed for its performance.
In 1949, General Motors introduced its 88 with the company's OHV Rocket V8 engine, which was previously available only in its lux ...
with enhanced
suspension
Suspension or suspended may refer to:
Science and engineering
* Car suspension
* Cell suspension or suspension culture, in biology
* Guarded suspension, a software design pattern in concurrent programming suspending a method call and the calling ...
components,
brake
A brake is a machine, mechanical device that inhibits motion by absorbing energy from a moving system. It is used for Acceleration, slowing or stopping a moving vehicle, wheel, axle, or to prevent its motion, most often accomplished by means of ...
system,
drivetrain
A drivetrain (also frequently spelled as drive train or sometimes drive-train) or transmission system, is the group of components that deliver mechanical power from the prime mover to the driven components. In automotive engineering, the driv ...
, and aesthetics, including many of the amenities of a new
performance car
A performance car is a car that exhibits above-average capabilities in one or more of the following areas: acceleration (torque and throttle response), top speed (horsepower), cornering and braking. It is debated how much performance is requi ...
. These modified muscle cars have been developed to function as well as, or to surpass, the capabilities of the foremost modern performance vehicles. Pro-Touring cars are built with an emphasis on function and are intended to be driven. Whether they are driven on the street, the race track, the drag strip, or through cones at an auto-cross is of no difference.
History
Credit for coining the term ‘Pro-Touring' itself to define the emerging genre is widely attributed to Mark Stielow,
GM Program Engineering Manager, and
Car Craft
''Car Craft'' was a magazine devoted to automobiles, hot rodding, and drag racing. It was published by the Motor Trend Group. It was established in 1953. The magazine published articles directed at inexperienced and expert car mechanics, such a ...
magazine’s Tech Editor Jeff Smith, who was heading up Chevy High Performance magazine at the time. Mark Stielow can also take credit for helping grow the new concept through his own projects such as the white
1969 Chevrolet Camaro known as Tri-Tip that competed in the
One Lap of America
The Brock Yates' One Lap of America is an annual motorsports event in the United States that has been held since 1984. It is the successor to the Cannonball Baker Sea-to-Shining-Sea Memorial Trophy Dash, an underground auto race of the 1970s.
T ...
in 1993. The Camaro was widely covered and created a surge in interest, and once the term was put in print, it stuck. Since that time, Stielow has built a number of trailblazing
Chevrolet Camaro
The Chevrolet Camaro is a mid-size American automobile manufactured by Chevrolet, classified as a pony car. It first went on sale on September 29, 1966, for the 1967 model year and was designed to compete with the Ford Mustang. The Camaro sha ...
s with names like "The Mule," "Red Devil" and "Mayhem," many of which have graced the covers of some of the industry's most beloved publications, including
Hot Rod magazine
''Hot Rod'' is an American car magazine devoted to hot rodding, drag racing, and muscle cars—modifying automobiles for performance and appearance. It was published monthly until 2024, when it transitioned to quarterly publication.
History
''H ...
,
Car Craft magazine
''Car Craft'' was a magazine devoted to automobiles, hot rodding, and drag racing. It was published by the Motor Trend Group. It was established in 1953. The magazine published articles directed at inexperienced and expert car mechanics, such a ...
, and
Popular Hot Rodding magazine, further fueling the pro-touring trend.
Car Platforms & Models
There is no rule that says pro-touring machines have to be built from any particular
car platform
A car platform is a shared set of common design, engineering, and production efforts, as well as major components, over a number of outwardly distinct models and even types of cars, often from different, but somewhat related, marques. It is prac ...
or
car model
The model of a car is its design, in the context of the manufacturer's range or series of cars. Different models, variants are distinguishable by technology, components, underpinnings, and/or style and appearance.
The methods used to categorise ...
. Historically, however,
pony car
Pony car is an American car classification for affordable, compact, highly styled coupés or convertibles with a "sporty" or performance-oriented image. Common characteristics include rear-wheel drive, a long hood, a short deck, bucket seats ...
s are the most popular type used. The perennial favorite model is the Chevrolet Camaro with, typically, the
Chevrolet Camaro (first generation)
The first-generation Chevrolet Camaro is an American pony car introduced by Chevrolet in the fall of 1966 for the 1967 model year. It used a brand-new rear-wheel-drive GM F platform, GM F-body platform and was available as a 2-door, 2+2 (car body ...
cars being the preferred choice for builders, with the
Chevrolet Camaro (second generation)
The second-generation Chevrolet Camaro is an American pony car produced by Chevrolet from 1970 through the 1981 model years. It was introduced in the spring of 1970. Build information for model 123-12487 was released to the assembly plants in ...
reaching new levels of popularity these days. Other cars known to have been used are the
Ford Mustang
The Ford Mustang is a series of American Car, automobiles manufactured by Ford Motor Company, Ford. In continuous production since 1964, the Mustang is currently the longest-produced Ford car nameplate. Currently in its Ford Mustang (seventh ...
and the
De Tomaso Pantera
The De Tomaso Pantera is a mid-engine sports car produced by Italian automobile manufacturer De Tomaso from 1971 to 1992. Italian for "Panther", the Pantera was the automaker's most popular model, with over 7,000 manufactured over its twenty-year ...
.
See also
*
Car tuning
Car tuning is the modification of a car to optimise it for a different set of performance requirements from those it was originally designed to meet. Most commonly this is higher engine performance and dynamic handling characteristics but cars ...
*
Hot rod
Hot rods are typically American cars that might be old, classic, or modern and that have been rebuilt or modified with large engines optimized for speed and acceleration. One definition is: "a car that's been stripped down, souped up and ma ...
*
Preservation and restoration of automobiles
*
Vehicle modification
A custom car is a passenger vehicle that has been altered to improve its performance, change its aesthetics, or combine both. Some automotive enthusiasts in the United States want to push "styling and performance a step beyond the showroom flo ...
References
{{Reflist
Modified vehicles
DIY culture