So, Who started Pro Touring?

[Ricochet]

So earlier this week I was down at Ironworks and Rodger and I got talking about 69 Camaro's and the whole Pro Touring movement. Something was said about who started it and what car really set the stage. The first car that I saw that just left a huge imprint in my head was a 69 Camaro built by Freeland Tanner that I saw at the Oakland Roadster show back in 1980. I did some digging the net around and was able to find these pics I thought I would share. Now remember this car was built 30 yrs ago. Love it or hate it - this guy was way ahead of the curve IMO.

http://www.cardomain.com/ride/2583301

[BritishGreen68]

I believe the credit is generally given to the "Big red camaro". http://www.bigredcamaro.com/newsite/mainpage.html

[Aschle]

Tony Huntimer (hope I spelled it right) from up north @ speed merchants was the first guy I ever saw doing this... Not to say he was THE first, just the first I know of.

Big Red was also, WAY ahead of it's time...


Jason

[70rs]

That Phase 1 Camaro is still a pretty cool car. Lots of work in that body. With a few updates (first would be the colors for me) it would be a nice ride.
For me it would have to be Big Red. That's the first PT car I remember ever seeing that actually performed as good as it looked.

[novanutcase]

Mule is what turned me on to PT!!!

John

[rogue]

If Big red started pro-touring, then a LOT of people building 'pro-touring' cars have it real wrong... Luxury leather seats, sound systems, ac, Xenon Headlamps..... 150k luxury lexus style muscle cars.

I'm not sure what pro-touring is any more.

But Big red is more of a full bred racecar and would be more of a streetfighter if anything.

[Vegas69]

I don't know but I'd like to sock him right in the mouth.

[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.

[jonny51]

Im pretty sure I started it.:captain:

[Spiffav8]

I don't know but I'd like to sock him right in the mouth.

Me to....That guy owe me money! :lol:

[customcam]

The first car to stand out to me was an Aussie car back in 1992 made me change my thoughts on what a Street Machine should be like.
Its probably the only Aussie car i trully admire :_paranoid lol
Check it out,very impressive and look at what he spent in 1992

http://www.litre8.com/
http://www.litre8.com/main_body.html#Rolling%20Stock:
Website needs some fine tuning though:rolleyes:

[customcam]

http://i157.photobucket.com/albums/t47/EV427/TRana.jpg
http://i157.photobucket.com/albums/t47/EV427/TRana1.jpg
http://i157.photobucket.com/albums/t47/EV427/TRana2.jpg

[XcYZ]

For me, it was without a doubt, Big Red.

[DOOM]

^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^:hail: :cheers:

[awr68]

For me El Mule! I know it wasn't the first PT car....but for me it was the one that changed my life!! :lol:

[Roger M]

From what I've read, most people will credit Big Red or Mark Steilow's First One Lap car. I remember a A nova that Lil John Buttera built in the mid 80s, 'Novette'.


http://i241.photobucket.com/albums/ff169/72tunaboat/buttera.jpg

[thedude327]

I don't know but I'd like to sock him right in the mouth.

LOL......... :lol:

Paul

[Vegas69]

For me El Mule! I know it wasn't the first PT car....but for me it was the one that changed my life!! :lol:

I'd have to agree.

[Dayton]

Im pretty sure I started it.:captain:

I thought Al Gore did....

[Rybar]

Mark Stielow's Thrasher '69 Camaro for me.

http://www.pro-touring.com/featured_cars/Camaro/mark_stielow/thrasher_front.jpg

http://www.lateral-g.net/bio/stielow/

I also remembering first seeing the term in Chevy High Performance magazine back in the early 90's.

[dropit69]

for me it was the Mule..seen it in popular hot rodding and it was all over..

[chr2002ca]

Shoot, someone beat me to the 'Al Gore' answer. I'm not sure Big Red should be considered a pro-touring car, but it definitely had a big influence in terms of appearance and performance. I think it's safe to say Big Red got the idea going and then others came in and added modern interiors, modern engines and fuel systems, misc refinement, etc, to come up with the 'pro-touring' idea we know of today. The Mule is a great example of that. Big Red is actually the reason I own and built the car I have today. It got burned into my grape-sized brain the first time I saw it featured in a magazine as a teenager and caused me to think about building a 69 RS ever since. Now I'm dead broke. Thanks Big Red!

[youthpastor]

From what I've read, most people will credit Big Red or Mark Steilow's First One Lap car. I remember a A nova that Lil John Buttera built in the mid 80s, 'Novette'.


http://i241.photobucket.com/albums/ff169/72tunaboat/buttera.jpg

yep.. Corvette front clip- lots cool stuff- a VERY slight update and that car would turn heads today- Chris

[buickfunnycar.com]

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.

[V8TV]

I remember when that issue arrived at my house in '85... I was blown away by the NoVette. That one did it for me.. glad you posted it! Still have the issue, or what's left of it, anyway...

[LateNight72]

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.
Agreed.

[CamaroPat]

I see a lot of credit going to the Mule. I love that car, read every article about the build, multiple times. That's the build quality and functionality we're all going for now, but guys have wanted to go fast, corner well and stop quickly since way before the Mule. The car's a great example, but it didn't start P/T. Trans Am racing, British Touring Car Championship, rallying, all HUGE in the sixties.

[CamaroPat]

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.

[skatinjay27]

I see a lot of credit going to the Mule. I love that car, read every article about the build, multiple times. That's the build quality and functionality we're all going for now, but guys have wanted to go fast, corner well and stop quickly since way before the Mule. The car's a great example, but it didn't start P/T. Trans Am racing, British Touring Car Championship, rallying, all HUGE in the sixties.
when the mule is mentioned by people they arent say it started pro-touring they say it started the obsession for them... i agree with you though o think all lot of what "we" like goes back to the trans am era cars!
my faviorate I might add.

[pacificustoms]

So earlier this week I was down at Ironworks and Rodger and I got talking about 69 Camaro's and the whole Pro Touring movement. Something was said about who started it and what car really set the stage. The first car that I saw that just left a huge imprint in my head was a 69 Camaro built by Freeland Tanner that I saw at the Oakland Roadster show back in 1980. I did some digging the net around and was able to find these pics I thought I would share. Now remember this car was built 30 yrs ago. Love it or hate it - this guy was way ahead of the curve IMO.

http://www.cardomain.com/ride/2583301

My Mom and Dad used to hang out with Freeland and his brother In Napa when they were in their 20's. My Mom said he was one of the most talented guys, both of them really, and way ahead of their time. We were just talking about them the other day, wondering what they're doing. Nice to see the photos of one of his Camaro's he built (from what I heard there were a few), I've only heard of them but no one's ever found the photos to show me. Small world.

[ProdigyCustoms]

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.

[mpozziCPL]

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

[byebye67]

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!"

[70rs]

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.

[Derek69SS]

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.

[L-Janne]

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:

[Rellim51]

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.

[rjp71]

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).

[CraigMorrison]

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.

[youthpastor]

The Hudson Hornet:D

[70rs]

The Amish Donk fad!!:rofl:

[Macbuick]

The Mule,
before it my Buick was a street machine , after it, it became a pro-touring...

[deuce_454]

i would say Car Craft with Heavy Metal 2, the luxury interior, road race suspension, fuel-injected big block 65 impala SS.. think it was in 92.. atleast that is when i fell for the idea of a muscle car that could out run.. and dice the corners like a porsche...

[MODO Innovations]

It was "The Red Witch" for me that Mark built. I saw the cover of the Aug, 1996 "HOT ROD", it had the car on the cover. Inside the mag are some build pics and few other pt cars.

I recently lost the issue of this mag to the "under the sink plumbing leak":(

[Chuck Byram]

I'm sure this post will permanently identify me as a geezer but if we are looking back to the Guldstrand and Trans Am years then we have to credit Carroll Shelby and the '65 GT 350 Mustang. That car introduced the idea of a road racer for the street!
Best,
Chuck:thumbsup:

[Bowtieracing]

I say Big Red . It had the perfect stance and big wheels first. But if Guldstrand and Herb Adams had real handling parts for camaros at the early 80s maybe they really started "pro-touring" ?

[GregWeld]

Big Red was a race car...

The Mule is 1041HP TT car that gets driven on the road - to the hot rod show circuit - Power Tour... has A/C...

What starts a "movement" may not be the FIRST of anything - it's what's copied the most...

:hail: Mark/Charley

[thedugan]

The Red Witch. Best car ever

[z4me69]

marks tri trip that was my favorite of his cars and it was years ago

[jeff s]

That Novette of Lil John's was the milestone car that I remember 1st.
I did put together my 1st Pro-Touring Cadillac in 1985, it was a 78 Seville, which was built by GM on a nova chassis. I added sway bars and Gatorback 255/50x16's all around. The vette tires of their time. It had 4 wheel discs on it stock, I upgraded them with some metallic pads. It had a Nitrous fed 350 Olds that embarrased a few bbc Chevelles both on the street and track.
I had a load of fun chasing Porsches and Ferraris up off ramps.
My 2nd Pro-Touring Caddy the Fleedwood Coupe debuted at the Car Craft Nats in St Paul in 1996 where it won Editors Choice.

[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! :yes:

[70rs]

Al Gore started it. AND the internet.:rofl:

[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.

http://i45.photobucket.com/albums/f60/racer_tom_95/BlueMaxi10002.jpg

http://i45.photobucket.com/albums/f60/racer_tom_95/scan0001.jpg

http://i45.photobucket.com/albums/f60/racer_tom_95/BlueMaxi20001.jpg

Tom

[rogue]

Guldstrand got me started! :yes:

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

http://lh3.ggpht.com/__OT3YJ9o9Ao/SvSHlGPeaSI/AAAAAAAAsL0/nX0lFNxVHO4/s800/IMG_4199.JPG

http://lh4.ggpht.com/__OT3YJ9o9Ao/SvSHtgXNHYI/AAAAAAAAsNU/wkEYdY_ntVM/s800/IMG_4211.JPG

[autoxcuda]

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.

:thumbsup: :bow:

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]

:thumbsup: :bow:

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]

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.

[70rs]

[QUOTE=rogue;252392]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!



Have you considered inviting him out for the day? I imagine being such a "star" in the industry he has a lot of hreat info and stories. But sometimes people get almost "afraid" to aproach guys like him. Maybe "star struck"?
Not saying you are at all, but i wonder how long it has been since someone simply asked him to go with for the day. If you get him in your car on the track I bet you get some priceless info. Not to mention a once in a lifetime chance that most of us will never have. I say invite him out to a track day. What do you have to loose?:cheers:

[Northeast Rod Run]

Gotta be Steilow's first one lap Camaro.
that was the car that originally made me want to put a cool suspension under my '69 Camaro but back then I didn't have much money or enough knowledge, and the parts weren't readily available like they are today.

I still managed a updated WS6 steering box, a 'huge' one inch front swaybar:lol: , Koni adjustables, solid tie-rod sleeves and custom wound springs from Gulstrand. problem was that, after paint, I was never able to afford decent rims and tires so the car never did perform to it's potential

[slow4dr]

I had to bump this thread to give honorable mention to Don Chemello's Nova dubbed "The Flying Brick". :hail:

[JamesJ]

One first needs to decide what pro-touring is? :beathorse

[hifi875]

wasnt that car for sale not to long ago^?

[kennyd]

i would say ty woodall's radrides built camaro is the first one i would say .

[slow4dr]

wasnt that car for sale not to long ago^?

Don sold it to an engineer at Edelbrock a number of years ago. I am trying to get them to break it out for this year's SoCal Novas BBQ. :yes:

[FreddieCougar]

Craig, do you remember Chris Bondy's 67 Convertible from back in the Renton Honest Performance days? Fat tires, looooow (for the time) stance, road-face style cage...this was 20+ years ago. It was the first car like that I remember. I had big'n little Centerlines at the time....
Tim




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.

[ProdigyCustoms]

I DO NOT count the race car Big Red as a Pro Touring car. There were cars before the Mule. But no doubt Mark Stielow and the Mules 100 pages in PHR month after month created the biggest Pro Touring buzz. I might be mistaken, but I think that is the first mainstream high circulation magazine to cover a project NOT owned by the magazine from start to finish like that. I know I subscribed and read each article with excitement.

I had people calling me asking if I had seen this project (the Mule) and asking me to build them one. I was in my first retirement at that time. I had built some G machine stuff but all with bolt ons and nothing to that level. He is still my hero!

[Tig Man]

I'm with you on your first post!

[Macbuick]

Trans Am cars are race cars....and a race car is not a pro-Touring.
Now if Big Red is registred and driven on the street, it's not only a race car it can be a Pro-Touring even with its race car mods, unlike Sunoco Camaro (and Parnelli's Mustangs, ans so on...) which couldn't be driven on the street....

it's not the fact about having bigger brakes and bigger engine otherwise a 32 Ford hot rodded in 1940 is also a Pro-Touring !!! :rolleyes:

a Pro-Touring car has 17" (or +) wheels with 4 big discs brakes(at least)..it's also a registred car that is driven on the street, on tracks and autocross....so the first guys to had these mods on their cars had created the first PT cars....
Now, how to create a trend? a lone guy in his far away town could have started PT a long way ago but if he never attempted a car show (or track/roadcourse/..) or get published in a magazine, how the hell could he had started something that had been followed by other freaks??
If you want to make some effect on the public, you have to show your car...in magazine, on TV, on internet.
The cars which started PT are the ones which had created a wave in our mind...:woot:

[chicane]

Trans Am cars are race cars....and a race car is not a pro-Touring.
Now if Big Red is registred and driven on the street, it's not only a race car it can be a Pro-Touring even with its race car mods, unlike Sunoco Camaro (and Parnelli's Mustangs, ans so on...) which couldn't be driven on the street....

it's not the fact about having bigger brakes and bigger engine otherwise a 32 Ford hot rodded in 1940 is also a Pro-Touring !!! :rolleyes:

a Pro-Touring car has 17" (or +) wheels with 4 big discs brakes(at least)..it's also a registred car that is driven on the street, on tracks and autocross....so the first guys to had these mods on their cars had created the first PT cars....
Now, how to create a trend? a lone guy in his far away town could have started PT a long way ago but if he never attempted a car show (or track/roadcourse/..) or get published in a magazine, how the hell could he had started something that had been followed by other freaks??
If you want to make some effect on the public, you have to show your car...in magazine, on TV, on internet.
The cars which started PT are the ones which had created a wave in our mind...:woot:

If what you write is true... which it is... then Guldstrand is the obvious piece to this puzzle.

When Guldstrand opened his shop back in the day... the majority of his meat and potatoes came from the street enthusiasts.

However... at the time he had been working at DANA and doing 427 swaps into the early 67's (read: middle to late 66.) His initial claim to fame came back in the early days of the Y-body platform. Daytona, Le Mans, Sebring... and the Corvette. He made quite a contribution to the development of the Y-body and GM kept him in their sights... and then re focused that effort for the F-body and their intent to race in the Trans Am series. At the time of the public launch of the F-body, he was a mechanical engineer working with the Vince Piggins group for the campaign of the Trans Am series cars... which was operated by none other than Roger Penske.

In 1968 when he opened his shop... his love in life was stuffing TA parts into street cars. It was a two way development effort for him. So the facts remain... by the definition you stated, registered... driven on the street etc etc (minus the 17" wheel criteria as they were not even a gleam in anyone's eye back then)... then I am pretty sure that Guldstrand was the one that did it for the GM product brand... and Shelby for Ford.

I am thinking that most here are dating themselves. If you don't look back to the Guldstrand, Shelby, Cox, Cantwell, Donohue, Parnelli and Gurney days of early 1960's road racing... I think you are missing the point all together. These cats still did the race on Sunday / Sell on Monday thing. If they had the 'hot set up'... they were putting yesterdays parts on street cars. That's what started "Pro Touring."

And then... we have been blessed with cats like Stielow and a few others... who have elevated the ideas to stratospheric levels. Its a good time to be alive and own a hot rod...