Early Ring Bros. Camaro at Mecum Kissimmee?

[Van B]

Looks like the Ring Brothers Camaro from back in the 90's is listed and will be at Mecum in Kissimmee in January. Someone must have "mainstreamed" the front end a bit since then, but many of the other details are unmistakeable Ring Brothers.

http://www.mecum.com/auctions/lot_detail.cfm?LOT_ID=FL0110-88856&entryRow=133

[2ndgenhunter]

That thang is PUUUURDY!

[Charley Lillard]

Ha !!!!!! Where is Mike ? I first met them on Power Tour in that car.

[Charley Lillard]

Mike is very proud of that car..... :-)

[Charley Lillard]

Grill is different though.

[Memphis]

Thats interesting looking to say the least.

[dropit69]

i have pics of that car at power tour stop in Joliet ..with old front end ill have to see if i can find them..

[SatisTraction]

atleast they fixed the front. that car was HORRIBLE

[kerryt1]

anybody got a shot of what it used to look like?

[formula]

That was a RING BROTHERS car?!?!?!?!

Sweet god...glad they got their style straightened out over the next few years.

[colt zantop]

wow...Ive seen this car in person numerous times and had NO IDEA it was a ring brothers car. lets just say I like their newer builds better.... :)

[SatisTraction]

That was a RING BROTHERS car?!?!?!?!

Sweet god...glad they got their style straightened out over the next few years.


in 10 years the same will be said about the cars they (and others) are building now.

[BADVELLE]

They thought outside of the box even with this car back then, the indention around the shifter is actually a frying pan, without the handle of course! The changes from this car to the recent ones is called progress, things change and ideas become better, but they still had their sh*t together even back then.

[rsk68]

Very nice but the radiator hose has to go!

[Steve1968LS2]

That was a RING BROTHERS car?!?!?!?!

Sweet god...glad they got their style straightened out over the next few years.

Back then that was the thing... just like how in 20 years people will look at our cars today and go "uhhh..."

[formula]

Back then that was the thing... just like how in 20 years people will look at our cars today and go "uhhh..."

I disagree, but I guess only time will tell. While there are always bad apples, very few of us are doing completely outlandish modifications to the overall "feel" of the car. You don't see many insane-o paint jobs, wacky front/rear end replacements, ridiculous body mods and such in pro-touring. Mostly things are done subtly, with a level of design and engineering not previously seen in most hotrod fads.

I personally think that building a car with taste and thought never goes out of style--which is why there are still SOME classic build styles that are still popular today. While not necessarily my thing, I've seen a lot of old-school hot rods, classic drag cars, pro-street cars, etc. that are still cool today because they didn't go insane with the build.

It's just like music--some music sucks after a decade--but it's unfair to say that all the music today is going to be considered stupid just because of miley cyrus. The stuff that was really, truly awesome at the time will remain awesome.

[toxicz28]

that was a ring brothers car?!?!?!?!

Sweet god...glad they got their style straightened out over the next few years.

x2!

[z06fromhell]

put a normal tail panel on it, and my opinion would change a lot!

[MarkM66]

Back then that was the thing... just like how in 20 years people will look at our cars today and go "uhhh..."

No one liked the looks of that car "back then." And it wasn't 20 years ago.

[SatisTraction]

I disagree, but I guess only time will tell. .

if you dont think that the 2-5 tone paint jobs, 20" wheels, .5" sidewall tires, funky spoilers, bubble gum scraping air dams, and other funky body mods will go out then you have narrow vision.

updating the driveablilty of a car will always be "in" but the style will be forever changing along the way. even the LS9 powered cars will be obsolete in a few years. how many of us look at TPI / LT1 powered swaps as OLD and obsolete?

[formula]

if you dont think that the 2-5 tone paint jobs, 20" wheels, .5" sidewall tires, funky spoilers, bubble gum scraping air dams, and other funky body mods will go out then you have narrow vision.

updating the driveablilty of a car will always be "in" but the style will be forever changing along the way. even the LS9 powered cars will be obsolete in a few years. how many of us look at TPI / LT1 powered swaps as OLD and obsolete?

I don't recall ever saying that the most extreme, faddish parts of our hobby were here to stay--and based on the other opinions i've seen in this thread, it seems like I'm the only person whose vision is wide enough to consider that pro touring will in fact have a lasting influence on hotrodding.

Exhibit a: still cool, almost exactly 20 years later.

https://static1.pt-content.com/images/noimg.gif

So, either they just got lucky and hit on the next big thing, oh, a decade before most people even started thinking about pro-touring...or....like I said...building a car with taste and thought never goes out of style.

Since we're on the topic, let's work our way back through my last post.

While there are always bad apples (i.e the ones with ridiculously huge wheels, body mods, etc.), very few of us are doing completely outlandish modifications to the overall "feel" of the car. You don't see many insane-o paint jobs, wacky front/rear end replacements, ridiculous body mods and such in pro-touring. Mostly things are done subtly, with a level of design and engineering not previously seen in most hotrod fads.

If you'd like, we can break down everything you listed:

Multi-tone paint jobs: been in style for 80+ years.
https://static1.pt-content.com/images/pt/2009/12/2006_pebble_beach_concours_d_elegance_im-1.jpg

20" wheels: Wheel sizes have been naturally increasing for the past 30+ years. While there will undoubtedly be a point where super-gargauntuan wheels go out of style, I think it's silly to expect a sudden resurgence in 15" wheels.

.5" sidewall tires: this is, of course, directly related to the wheels.

Funky spoilers: Looks like we've got another longterm runner.
https://static1.pt-content.com/images/pt/2009/12/600superbird-1.jpg

Bubblegum scraping air dams: Looks like that's made it 30+ years too.
https://static1.pt-content.com/images/noimg.gif


And of course the latest, greatest engine will be outdated in a few years. But look at the staying power of the SBC/BBC/SBF--all of them are still being built on a regular basis. Heck, if you look at things on a broader scale, the LS-engines are now a decade old and still the hot ticket. If you do anything to be the latest, greatest, most totally out-there you can, you're going to end up losing your crown eventually.

It all comes back to my analogy: Miley cyrus, the giant-rimmed ridiculous-painted twin-turbo ls'd show car of the music world, will clearly not be popular in a few years--But Zeppelin will always be Zeppelin.

You said yourself, updating the drivability of a car will always be in. Since the heart of pro touring, the credo this entire website operates under, is "If it goes, stops, and turns better than stock, it's pro-touring", doesn't that mean that, while details will certainly shift and fads will come and go (see: torque thrust IIs), the essential elements of our hobby are here to stay?

I'll reiterate one last time: No matter what you do, creativity, taste, and a lot of thought are always in style.

[Charley Lillard]

Anybody think all this Billet is gonna look pretty silly in a few years ?

[colt zantop]

as much as I like the billet stuff...Im sure it will get replaced with something....I also feel the same way about carbon fiber...I like it when tastefully done..but its a fad....

[CarlC]

You know you want those hood hinges Charlie. Don't keep denying yourself!

[hifi875]

i like the clean mechanical look, all the bling is ok for a trailer queen but it s alot of work to look good. when i changed over to ls i went for the clean mechanical look, still have alittle bling w/the coated headers and rad but i am going to brush my rad to match the other stuff

[Derek69SS]

That car was ugly as hell from day 1... I remember laughing at it with my brothers when it was in PHR. Excellent build quality, but with a total lack of taste.

[Derek69SS]

if you dont think that the 2-5 tone paint jobs, 20" wheels, .5" sidewall tires, funky spoilers, bubble gum scraping air dams, and other funky body mods will go out then you have narrow vision.
The ones that serve a functional purpose (air dams, spoilers, light-weight Carbon-Fiber body panels, etc. ) will never go out of style.

[Steve1968LS2]

Anybody think all this Billet is gonna look pretty silly in a few years ?

depends on how it was done.. clean lines never go out of style. I can't imagine a set of black billet hinges will ever "look bad".

Goddy stuff goes out of style.. and "off beat stuff"..

[Steve1968LS2]

You know you want those hood hinges Charlie. Don't keep denying yourself!

Im getting a guy to make some that open farther JUST for Charley.. :)

[Charley Lillard]

Perfect......

[96Z28SS]

Fesler already makes a set that opens more than the older ones he and marquez was making.

Opens like 8 inches more.

[KEISLER]

Anybody think all this Billet is gonna look pretty silly in a few years ?

I'm not a big fan of it. But I do appreciate the artistic element when it all comes together. When it doesn't come together, it looks tacky or even cheap.

Formula - nice posts ... I agree about good taste weathers the test of time. Big Red was a great example.

Shafi