American Touring Specialties thanks you all.....

[TitoJones]

Well boys and girls it has been a fun and exciting road the past 7 years. I have met and befriended some amazing people, talented builders, and some personal heroes of mine during the process, as well as provided some well innovative parts to some amazing builds. I got to learn a whole lot from the massive collective in this hobby from owners and vendors alike; I even got to help teach others as I went along.

I wanted to thank all of you for your support for the last 7 years, it meant the world to me that you guys choose to use my company to help build your dream cars. I can never thank you guys enough.

I’d like to thank Larry Callahan and Scott Gulbranson for running the sites we all habitually check and post our lives on, you two helped further this industry by providing all of us with a place to share tech and information with each other; we would not have made it this far with out your help. I’d also like to thank Steve Chryssos- my brother from another mother. I’m sure most of you are unaware, but Steve has been one of the driving forces behind ATS for the past 5 years. He took me under his wing and helped me to become the business man I am today. He is much too humble to admit to it, but he helped me with everything from graphic design, to managing a dealer account with my own vendors. I’d still be struggling through the ins and outs of this industry if it wasn’t for him. Steve- thank you. I wish I had to knowledge to repay the favor to you.

There a few thousand people I’d also like to thank in no particular order:
Jim Shipka- You showed me what a little attention to detail and an ATS catalog can become. The One Lap Camaro was truly the highest honor anyone could ever pay to me. The car is simply amazing, and I wish I could have done more for you on the project. Thank you for choosing my product line and supporting my vendors.

Shane Wagner- You took one hell of a chance on me. I’m thankful that you did. You alone took my vision and made it into reality. You are one hell of an engineer that can never be replaced. Thank you for everything.

Russell McLean- The worlds best fabricator. I love how people still argue that a robot did the welds on our Tri-Y headers. You are one talented robot. Thanks for all the hours and detail you poured into making our products by hand. I have found that it is people like you and Shane that allowed me to become successful.

Kyle and Stacy Tucker of DSE- You were always kind to me when I was starting out. Kyle always took the time to answer any stupid questions I had about running one of these business, and even though I became a small competitor in our industry, you never shut the door on me. Thanks for giving all of us a large target to aspire to. DSE will always be the top dog, but we will all like to follow suit behind you guys.

I know there are a few lurkers and banned board members that are just too ecstatic to hear this statement come out of my mouth:
American Touring Specialties is closing its doors. We will fill all current in stock orders that are pending. Any back ordered items that have not already been made will be getting a call from me to confirm the cancellation of the sale order.

We will continue to operate on a part time basis in the future, so the end is not a permanent one. We’ll get back up one of these days but this economy has left me a broken man, unable to continue operations.
Any vendors or distributors of mine can make offers for any part of the ATS business, from our product line to our inventory and project vehicles. I will entertain all offers.
Again- thank you all for the best 7 years of my life. I hope to return in the future.
Take care.

Tyler Beauregard
American Touring Specialties

[protour_chevelle]

Wow Tyler sorry for the events that have to happen. You and me hit heads a couple years back and never really started talking again. Then again I blame that on myself. I go back and read some of my first posts and get rather embarrassed. I hope the best for you and your business and am confident that you will get things sorted when the economy turns around.

Sorry and good luck!

-Matt Kuehn

[Vegas69]

Good luck to you man

[Boyd]

Wow Tyler, that's an absolute bummer! What are you going to do now?

[claytonisbob]

I am very sorry to hear this. Good luck to you in the future, I'm sure you'll do well.

[gonein67bird]

damn dude i was litterally going to order some anvil carbon fiber from you today. so sorry to here that news i really love all your work, good luck

[XLexusTech]

Good Luck to you I takes a lot of character to build you own buisness.
Most don't have the courage to try. My hats off to you.

Now if you Messing around like you did on 50/50. Their is an ass kicking coming your way :-)

[Restomod]

Sorry to hear it ,whats to become of your car?

[shmoov69]

Wow, somehow from the title of the thread that is what I thought you were going to say. Sorry to hear that your dream has taken a dump on you. But, keep your chin up and don't give up. God has always opened up another door when one closes if I had faith and allowed it to happen. Hopefully that will be the case for you too.

[Taylor1969]

Sorry to hear that man. I wish you all the best in the future.

[evsmotors]

This is terrible! You have one of the best parts in the business! You didn't mention anything when I talked to you today.

[Steve1968LS2]

Man, I'm very sorry to hear this.. You offered some top notch killer products and great customer service.

ATS will be deeply missed from the community, but hopefully we will still get to pick on you around here.

[Mr.VENGEANCE]

oh dammit.. theres some parts i still need to get!

dang Tyler.. i hate hearing these things.

[Cruiser]

Well I hope the spindles get picked up by DSE or someone. I don't have a set but those are on my wish list.....and it's long one!!

I hope things pick up for you, your an auto tech for BMW or something right? Should be something to fall back on I hope.

[vanzuuk1]

Hey tyler you were always awesome on the phone and helped me out a few times,hope to see you back in the game eventually.

[Modo Innovations]

Tyler,
I am very sorry to hear this. I would personally like to state this about Tyler the person. He has given me some excellent and unselfish advice in the past and I am deeply greatful for that.

As for the company, ATS has some great products and I am greatful for the business that they have given us. I hope that it is not long before ATS will be back to fulltime for you.

Thanks again for your help.

[Lowend]

Really too bad - you are a true contributor to this sport

[trapin]

Damn it all to hell. I hate what this economy is doing to good people. And now it's affected one of our brethren. That pisses me off.

Sorry to hear about this Tyler. I'm proud to have ATS spindles on my car and show them off whenever anyone wants to see it. Without them my car's already low coolness factor would be reduced down to the microscopic level.

But I smell a comeback. They can't keep a man like you down for long, bro. I have faith you'll be back.

Good luck to you.

[James OLC]

Tyler,
It's been an awesome three years the we have worked on the ’67 and I am truly privileged to have enjoyed your council and your friendship. Whatever happens from here that will not change. You have my number. Use it whenever you want.

[Taylor1969]

I still can't believe that you guys are shutting down. I got kind of worried when you put the shop and product line up for sale a couple of months ago.

I am glad that I got my spindles and just like trapin, I always mention them when talking about the mods I have done to my car - they are one of my favorites

[olds87]

I'm sorry to hear that happen to you. Came up with nice products to pro touring world and hope that you come back stronger than ever.

[1badchevelle]

Sorry to hear this I have a set of stock spindles for my velle that have been sitting on my shelf for 6 months and show them off any chance I get. I need the steering arms. I will call you tomorrow.

[TonyL]

All I can say is :(

That sucks man. I've been here since you started this venture and am sad to see it end. I'm hopeful that things will bounce back, and life will return to normal. These are hard times indeed.

[CarlC]

Tyler,

It had to be rough writing that, and even rougher to have to make the final decision. There's a lot of people on this board, including me, that owe you a beer.

You are a resourceful guy, and I'm sure will land on your feet.

Thanks for all the help.

[MrQuick]

Its been a good run but times have changed. And the strong must do the same to survive.

Hope you the best and we will keep in touch. Been nice doing business with you.



I'll be thinking of you when the zombies come.




Vince

[Damn True]

EFF-YOU-SEE-KAY!



Man Tyler this pains me to hear. But you are a sharp, hard working young man. That, gives me confidence that you will succeed in whatever comes next. I'd hire you today....but I had to lay off 15 people this afternoon.

I hope to ATS back, and better than ever sometime very soon.

[neki67]

Tyler,

this hurts. You deserve better than that!

When memory serves me correct, you started ATS shortly after you had been laid of by the Porsche dealership you were working at at the time. You made quite a name for yourself within our community and I truly believe that you will return better and even greater than before, just as when you were laid of 7 years ago, Wheather it be in this bussiness or somewhere else!

Take care and I assume you should feel free to ask for our help whenever you need it!

[Steve Chryssos]

Go ahead and tap on that monitor in front of you. Thanks. That was a little reality check to remind you that all is not as it may seem. A minority of your pro-touring vendors are actually full-time businesses. Most vendors and even car builders hold down square jobs and run their businesses part-time. Then there are the hardcore, ultimate car junkies. Building a cool car is not enough. They gotta spread their seed to others in the form of innovative parts. It's the guys who risk everything to pursue the ultimate american dream--FULL TIME.

I made the plunge. Tyler made the plunge. The experience can best be compared with parenthood, where ultimate sacrifice surrounds you. Nurture a baby; Nurture a fledgling business. Sleep is optional. The learning curve is steep. Missteps are part of the process. In the end, business management is ten times more challenging than product development. Efficiency is the rarest commodity.

Quitting smells like failure. Bottom. Most of the time, that's true. But sometimes, pulling the plug is the result of courage and maturity. It's self-preservation. It's responsible. That is the case with Tyler Beauregard and American Touring Specialties. Maybe Tyler will find a way to continue ATS on a part-time basis. I hope that happens. His products are innovative and of the highest quality. His integrity has yielded unrivaled customer service. Maybe nice guys really do finish last?

But your work isn't done Tyler. Sell your product designs to the right people. Hopefully the products, like your excellent AFX forged spindles, can thrive in the hands of another company. They deserve that. If possible, consider ways to continue ATS on a part-time basis--as so many other vendors do.

The rest of us small vendors need to remember that money is still out there. You just need to work harder to find it. I shipped a paddle shifter to Jakarta! It's out there. Be smart. Be conservative. Be efficient. And most of all maintain a high level of integrity. Integrity is in high demand. And it's the only personal and business management resource that is truly free. Even if you crash and burn, integrity is for keeps.

Best of luck to you Tyler
/Steevo

[1969CamaroRS]

Tyler,

Thanks for all the advice. I'm sure you will land on your feet! I really do hope ATS comes back in the future. I love my AFX Spindles!

[bret]

Tyler's passion and enthusiasm are the true indicators of his success. Businesses come and go, but no one can forclose on thoughts, dreams and knowledge.

Tyler's questions and observations [or even the possibility of them!] have inspired many of us to put extra thought and effort into our projects and our products. That is true success.

Although we are doing fine at Air Ride, things like this scare me to death because I know that, like many other companies, if just a handful of things would go wrong at the same time, we could face the same situation. Anyone with a business knows what a fragile existance it can be.

It is a smart man who knows the difference between the battle and the war. Retreat, recover, and live to fight another day. Your business may have closed but your mind has not.

Good Luck...we WILL see you around!

[Mkelcy]

Tyler: I'm really sorry to hear this. ATS was one of a handful of vendors whose parts were always first rate, fit and worked as intended and whose advice was always dead on. In addition, you gave a lot to the forums, here and elsewhere.

Good luck on whatever comes next.

[nicks67camaro]

Tyler, This is sad news... ATS is a top notch company and you left and impressive mark on this industry. I hope what ever is next is successful and you will continue to contribute to the Pro-touring community.

Best of Luck

[Jarcaines]

Nooo!

Tyler, I am sorry to hear that man, I hope things start looking up for you. I was planning on sending some money your way when my project budget allowed. This is a sad day in Pro-Touring. God bless man.



On that note... anyone have $749.00 worth of graphic design work they need done right away? ;-)

[TA219]

Nooo!

Tyler, I am sorry to hear that man, I hope things start looking up for you. I was planning on sending some money your way when my project budget allowed. This is a sad day in Pro-Touring. God bless man.



I agree 100%, I have eyeballed t56kit.com for a long time and I have always thought that you guys had some awesome products; they were just always out of my reach.

I have always thought that it speaks volumes when you look around the for sale forum (as I often do when looking for deals) and you rarely see any ATS stuff for sale. I can only assume that this is a direct result of the high quality offered.

Good luck in your future endeavors

[buickfunnycar.com]

Best of luck to you Tyler...

[jimhamptons]

Tyler, very sorry to hear. Make sure to get out our way in the spring so we can get together for a cruise.

[Rybar]

Wow Tyler, didn't see this one coming.

As I have said many times before, your original 68 with the LT1-T56 was a HUGE inspiration for my car.

You are a talented, innovative guy who gave alot to this community.

I always appreciated your fantastic customer service and attention to details.

You don't often recieve good service from the owner of a company large or small very much anymore, and you always provided good service and fantastic products. I wish I had more of your parts on my car.

I know personally from owning my own business, it's a cut throat world out there. Very hard to stay afloat sometimes. I've always beleived keeping overhead to an absolute minimum can help during the rough times.

Good luck to you brother, PM me your cell # the next time I am in Vegas we should get together for some beers!

Ryan

[Martin71RS]

that sucks....I hope things will work out for you over time. (recessions come, but also go!)

I take it that you will stay on PT.com?

take care,
Martin

[parsonsj]

Tyler,

I've very sorry to hear that the future of ATS is uncertain. You've been a huge part of the PT scene since you were a youngster. :)

Good luck with whatever future you pursue next. Owning and running a business is difficult to say the least, and especially difficult during these tough economic times.

Take care!

jp

[Yelcamino]

I'm really sorry to hear this news! Your parts are top shelf and like others have said, I always point your spindles out to people when they look at my Chevelle!

Best of luck to you and I hope to see ATS back in business soon!

[BMF Machine]

:idea:ThaT SuckS; KinD of sums it up? GooD LucK TyleR!

[The WidowMaker]

that f-ing blows!!!

too good of a heart and mind for this to be the current result.

good luck with your future ventures

Tim

[TonyL]

Whats to become of 50/50? Will it just languish in the shop?

[BMF Machine]

Whats to become of 50/50? Will it just languish in the shop?


I'd say with Tyler'S BacKGrounD and SkillZ, he has got a good dayjob and there is at LeasT a 50/50 chance we will still get to see the CaR?:)

[BA.]

This news sucks!

I always brag about my tall spindles to people.

I hope to see ATS back in business one day.

Best of luck to ya Tyler, hope you stick around the boards at least.

[Roadbuster]

Tyler,
Sorry to hear the news. I wish you the best and hope to see you again with new and inventive products!

Jon

[vp23271]

Damn that sucks!

I need to make an order before you close your doors! I hope Monday is not too late?

Best luck to you Tyler! I hope everything works out for the better.

[zbugger]

That bites. Tyler, best of luck in your future endeavors. We all know you did your best in this effort. You did a good thing for this little niche of the hobby. Your parts were awesome and were definitely must have parts. I hate to see you guys go, but such is life. And I was even planning on ordering a steering box from you next month. I'll have to find another avenue for that one, huh? Don't be a stranger around here. We all liked you.... If not for your hair.

[TonyHuntimer]

That blows! When I called you yesterday...I had no idea you were actually going to go public in a couple of hours. I feel bad for bugging you. No wonder you were so bummed.

Sorry,
Tony Huntimer
RaceHome.com

[ss dave]

Tyler and the guys at ATS wish you all the luck.
I have several ATS parts on my car including the Tri-Y headers and getting more.
Tyler was always helpful with my dumb questions, top notch. I'm bummed for you. Good Luck.

[preston]

Good luck in your future endeavors Tyler.

[BonzoHansen]

Such awful news. I hope this thread offers you at least a few good moments. Hang in there, you'll be back in the saddle somehow, someday.

[NvrDun71]

Sh***y news indeed. You guy's always had such killer parts. Would often go and check out your website just to look and read up up on all the parts I wish I could afford for my project. I actually did just place a T56 kit order from you guys, hopefully it made it in under the wire...... if not don't know what I am going to do about my T56 swap. Best of luck w/ your future plans and endeavors, hopefully ATS can resurrect bigger and better someday not too far off in the distant future

[EFI69Cam]

Bummer. I love your parts and show them off to everyone who looks at the car.

Best of luck to you.

[skeeters65]

Tyler,
Sorry to hear the bad news.. Good luck to you in the future. All my ATS parts are top notch..

Thanks and Good luck

[LowBuckX]

Well that stinks.. Your parts where on my " If I ever get the Money" list... Good luck down the road.

[CRCRFT78]

Sorry to hear about this but you'll be back I'm sure. As far as shutting the doors on this endeavor, whats to become of what inventory you have left? I'm mainly interested in what g-body parts you may still have available.

[b-man]

Tyler,

I hope you're able to weather the storm and come back with both guns blazing. I've been through your website a few times and am amazed at the depth and sophistication of your product line.

I hope that if there is any inventory left that you're able to sell that I may still have a shot at a few pieces for my A-body '64 Tempest.

Here's wishing you the all the best.

Bart

[Larry Callahan]

Tyler, I'm sure you will be back. You have done a great job and I doubt it will be long. It seems like just yesterday I met you at the Porsche dealer when you were still working there. You have come a long way and are a wealth of information.

Any plans for a day job? Perhaps someone on the forum needs your talent?

[1badchevelle]

Just placed my order for the steering arms(had to cancel the motor mount plates)



Thanks Tyler.

Fabian S.

[2yellow69]

Tyler,
ATS will be missed. Thanks for letting us use your knowledge and talents. Your customer service and parts ARE the best.

Matt & Jill

[JEFFTATE]

Good luck Tyler !
Keep posting anyway .
Ok ?
Don't lose touch with us !
We love you man !

[Hurst - Jeff]

You are an honest, hard working guy and a great contributor to this hobby.
You are a class act and have a lot to be proud of.

[Steve68]

Sorry Tyler and crew, I've talked with Tyler numerous time and he's always been a great help, I have ATS parts on my car and proud to show it and say it!

Hopefully you'll make a come back,

[Damn True]

The more I think about this, the more pi$$ed off I get.

Some companies innovate, others duplicate. Examples of each are pretty easy to find. It really chaps my ass that one of the former is going out of business while so many of the latter survive.

It's much easier to sell a product for less and to turn a profit when you don't have to recoup Research & Development and tooling costs. For some companies, R & D stands for Ripoff and Duplicate and their product development budget consists of buying a couple of micrometers so that they can swipe measurements from other peoples hard earned designs.

But it isn't entirely the fault of the unscrupulous vendor. I can't count the number of times I've heard people on this board and others proudly proclaim that they want a similar product for less money, or ask where they can buy product "X" at a cut rate.

Well congratulations. You got your cheap stuff. Bravo.

Now who are duplicators going to duplicate when the innovators are all working regular day jobs?

[6'9"Witha69]

The more I think about this, the more pi$$ed off I get.

Some companies innovate, others duplicate. Examples of each are pretty easy to find. It really chaps my ass that one of the former is going out of business while so many of the latter survive.

It's much easier to sell a product for less and to turn a profit when you don't have to recoup Research & Development and tooling costs. For some companies, R & D stands for Ripoff and Duplicate and their product development budget consists of buying a couple of micrometers so that they can swipe measurements from other peoples hard earned designs.

But it isn't entirely the fault of the unscrupulous vendor. I can't count the number of times I've heard people on this board and others proudly proclaim that they want a similar product for less money, or ask where they can buy product "X" at a cut rate.

Well congratulations. You got your cheap stuff. Bravo.

Now who are duplicators going to duplicate when the innovators are all working regular day jobs?
No chit. I really hate to think what rip off artists do to people.

Good luck Tyler!! May ATS rise from this stronger one day.

[Scott Parkhurst]

Ty- All my best wishes Amigo. I'm proud of the work we did together and love all the ATS stuff on my car.

You'll be back. Even the best fighters get a minute between rounds to catch their breath. You're too cool to quit, and you've made too many friends.

Let me know what's up. wrdsmth495@yahoo

~SP~

[BRIAN]

Good guys and nice product sorry to see a good vendor fall on tough times.

You appear to be smart guy with obvious knowledge. Sometimes passion and making money do not go hand in hand. I say settle down get yourself a well deserved good paying job and take ATS part time. It will be more enjoyable when you aren't depending on it for your rent.

[TitoJones]

Thanks for all the kind words and wishes guys. We have been flooded with calls and orders to the point of overload. Seems like once people know they might not get any ATS stuff anymore they buy up what they can.

With all your support, we have been working for the past 2 weeks to downsize and restructure our operations. We have determined that we will be able to continue running the parts and manufacturing side of ATS on a part time basis. From here on out we will continue to make the parts you guys really want on a batch type basis.

This means that if we are back ordered on an item we will hold the B/O until we have enough sales orders to make a production batch of that item. Patience will be needed when ordering an item that we don't have in stock, but we will get it all taken care of. We have closed up the car building/fabrication side of our shop and moved to a smaller location to make it all happen. We might not be able to speak on the phone as much as we used to, but we will return all our messages and emails.

Thanks for your understanding and patience with us.

Tyler

[dipren443]

That is great news Tyler!!!

[Gearhead Dude]

Great to hear Tyler!

[Lowend]

ah - taking the old VSE / Offenhauser route... smart.
Glad to hear you will still me out there

[ProdigyCustoms]

Awesome, I was hoping you would do this. Got our headers today. Absolute works of art.

If you need anything................

[EFI69Cam]

Great news! a company like ATS is too good to let go.

[Rybar]

Awesome news buddy! Glad you can continue!

[Chad-1stGen]

I'll echo the other comments. Great news.

ATS spindles are on my wish list of parts that I intend to actually fulfill someday.

[ss dave]

That's GREAT NEWS. I've heard rumors and innuendos that that could happen. Good to hear Tyler.
Bravo, bravo.

[speedster]

Tyler -

Sorry to hear that you shut down ATS, but then happy to hear that you reconsidered and decided to scale back and keep things going on a part time basis. Steevo eluded to the fact that you probably hit bottom when you made the announcement about closing. Just remember, you have done more in the past 7 years than the majority of the people do in a lifetime. You took the risk. You rolled the dice. And you got an education from the best college around - your own business. So hats off to you. All businesses cycle. It's what you learn from it that makes you stronger. Use some of this time to enjoy yourself. You'll be back. In this business or another, but you will be back...:)

[Yelcamino]

Fantastic! I know I'm just a small fry but I sent you an email to order another pair of spindles and steering arms. It's not much but every little bit helps, right? Glad to hear you're going to keep at it!

[69camarokid]

NOOOOOOO!!!!

that 67 and 68 camaro body kit is too gorgeous to go away! Ive been waiting for one for my 69 ever since i first saw your 67,68 kit.

Now im sad...

good luck to you in the future! youd better come back!

[Steve1968LS2]

Great news.. glad that ATS will remain in some form!

[Flash68]

Hey that is great news. Part time is better than zero time. :)

[avgasman]

Right on Tyler!

Glad I still have a reason to road-trip to Vegas.:)

[Steve68]

Now I still can get a set of headers,