What's next for Pro-Touring?

[bigvegan]

What do you all think is going to be the next step for pro-touring, in terms of aesthetic/performance/etc.?

Originally,as I understand it, pro-touring came about as a reaction to the pro-street style, in which cars were built to go (or look like they could), down the 1/4 mile fast, but not much else.

Pro-touring came along to show that older cars could also work (or look like they could) on a road course or an autocross in addition to the strip.

Lately though, and this may just be me, it seems like there's a generic look (big expensive wheels, disc brakes with painted calipers, lowrider suspensions, custom interiors that look pretty similar to each other, paint that costs so much you can't have fun with the car unless you're rich or own a body shop) that's taken over pro-touring that looks like people are just throwing money / parts catalogs / shop time at their cars to have something shiny rather than building something to have fun with.

There's nothing wrong with this, and I'm glad it's keeping so many great shops in business, but for me, the look is getting a little tedious. (Camaros are beautiful, but they're quickly becoming the Deuce Coupe / Highboy Roadster of the 2000s.)

Where do you all think the hobby goes from here?

Do we just keep seeing more variations of the shiny red/gray/black '69 Camaro with a mild LSX and 18"-20" wheels, either in chrome or with two-tone black or grey spokes,with big disc brakes with red/black calipers?

Do we see more completely over the top 6-figure musclecars?

Or do we start seeing something like the modern version of a Copo / Trans Am / Nascar / open road racing aesthetic, where the emphasis is on performance, but where the car looks cool because it was a cool design to start with and has now been built to go faster, not because somebody threw a lot of money and billet and paint at the car? (Hot Rod has had a feature or two on retro-Nascar builds lately, and Car Craft, which had been dubbed Camaro Craft at one point, seems to be going after more non-traditional builds.)

Where do you think things go from here?

[EFI69Cam]

mr. fusion

[shortrack]

whats next? - for me its Cup.

[megaladon6]

i think that any time you can classify a car style you'll have this discussion. our cars look the same because they get built for the same purpose and the methods are the same because what else is there? it's like all the cars with big blocks and skinny front tires.
i love the camaro but there are too damn many, i can't get away from 'em, my brother is on this forum with a '78. that's one reason i'm doing a g-body.
i am waiting to see a true all-wheel drive system put in a car. (using a three output trans not a transfer case)
it would also be interesting to see non-muscle cars, like a volare.

[Samckitt]

i think that any time you can classify a car style you'll have this discussion. our cars look the same because they get built for the same purpose and the methods are the same because what else is there? it's like all the cars with big blocks and skinny front tires.
i love the camaro but there are too damn many, i can't get away from 'em, my brother is on this forum with a '78. that's one reason i'm doing a g-body.
i am waiting to see a true all-wheel drive system put in a car. (using a three output trans not a transfer case)
it would also be interesting to see non-muscle cars, like a volare.

G bodies rule! But I am a little biased.

[1FstChevy]

WOW bigvegan ^^^^^^^ I full heartedly agree, I'm actually watching barrett jackson right now sitting in detroit and saw yet another 69' Camaro roll across the block with what looked like 20"s and 22"s.

The first thing that came to mind is how the 69' Camaros and what seems to be a growing number of other cars which seem to be taking the same road that those roadsters and 55 Bel-Airs, like you said people just throwing piles of parts at them, to the point where its barely a car from 30years ago.

So I'd agree that the general perception and accepted "genre" of Pro-Touring, has gone from the idea of installing a modern reliable drivetrain, revising the suspension accordingly with quality parts, and stopping as quickly as you can accelerate which means big brakes, and as a result 17" or 18" wheels to accept those brakes.
Recently though, it seems as if the first mark of "Pro-Touring" as its generally viewed is 20" wheels(or bigger, what about physics people!), any motor including 572s boat anchors, and like you said a really costly paint job. Of course everyone is entitled to do as they please to their cars but just one example is how high performing brakes are now an after thought to wheels when ideally it would be the other way around.
------------------------------------------------
So overall I think the term Pro-Touring has come to be recognized as more of a trophy piece lux-o muscle car rather than competition oriented, what with the layers of sound deadening, A/C, huge stereo systems(some of which take up the back seat) & after market chassis which are great, but just like the Bel-Air's most of those end up on a mirror instead of the road(in general, not Pro-Touring.com members in particular) and all that stuff adds up to a LOT of weight which isn't very conducive to speed. See Link ---> http://www.barrett-jackson.com/appli...LotNumber=1249

Outside of the wEiRd 200lb stereo systems all of the above is fine and dandy but I'd say that ^^^ is the current general accepted view of Pro-Touring, and what you might call the original concept of "Pro-Touring" is more of the current "Street Fighter" term which my Z would fall into with a reliable EFI + 6Speeed, no A/C, heating, radio, etc, but still a full interior minus center console, clean paint with its share of nicks still riding on its original 1980 chassis and of course in a far superior fashion than it did mechanically when it rolled off the line! See Link ---> (More originial idea/concept of Pro-Touring) http://www.barrett-jackson.com/appli...LotNumber=1303

[NOT A TA]

Whats next? It appears to me as a daily visitor to this site that there's becoming more of an emphasis on the Pro-Touring "look" than performance.
I used to read threads about suspension geometry and modifications, discussions about MOI reguarding wheels and brakes, gauge installation threads, and other performance modification threads about upgrading the older vehicles from the 60's and 70's. Now it seems like the threads are mostly about appearance.

Don't get me wrong, appearance is very important to me. I just won't give up performance for appearance.

And where's the "touring" anyway? And I don't mean the Power Tour or to a "cruise night" (why do they call them that anyway if everyone's just standing/sitting around?) I'm talking about taking your favorite companion and just driving or going on vacation. When I signed up on this site I thought I'd see some tales from the road threads but very rarely have seen one. I've taken girlfriends on day trips and vacations. Driven the 14 car (without the #'s) from New England to Florida and New orleans a few times and very rarely see any other G machine/PT type cars out there on the highways. Aren't the cars being built for "touring"?

And if all around performance is the goal of these cars why is it that when I've gone to NASA road course events, the ECTA mile, and dragstrips I don't see any other G machine/PT type cars? There's just mostly purpose built cars for those events. I know there's a few people here going to the tracks but why not more? I gotta give props to the folks who ran in the rain at the XV motorsports track day at Pocono though, I wouldn't even take my car out of the trailer that day!

[Mr.VENGEANCE]

ill give the "touring" award to my man who bought Fuel.

dude drove the car like 2000 miles or some shizz to his house in canada.

THAT.. is whats next for pro-touring.. us driving our cars

you ar NEX!

[mpozzi]

Whats next? It appears to me as a daily visitor to this site that there's becoming more of an emphasis on the Pro-Touring "look" than performance.
I used to read threads about suspension geometry and modifications, discussions about MOI reguarding wheels and brakes, gauge installation threads, and other performance modification threads about upgrading the older vehicles from the 60's and 70's. Now it seems like the threads are mostly about appearance.

Don't get me wrong, appearance is very important to me. I just won't give up performance for appearance.

And where's the "touring" anyway? And I don't mean the Power Tour or to a "cruise night" (why do they call them that anyway if everyone's just standing/sitting around?) I'm talking about taking your favorite companion and just driving or going on vacation. When I signed up on this site I thought I'd see some tales from the road threads but very rarely have seen one. I've taken girlfriends on day trips and vacations. Driven the 14 car (without the #'s) from New England to Florida and New orleans a few times and very rarely see any other G machine/PT type cars out there on the highways. Aren't the cars being built for "touring"?

And if all around performance is the goal of these cars why is it that when I've gone to NASA road course events, the ECTA mile, and dragstrips I don't see any other G machine/PT type cars? There's just mostly purpose built cars for those events. I know there's a few people here going to the tracks but why not more? I gotta give props to the folks who ran in the rain at the XV motorsports track day at Pocono though, I wouldn't even take my car out of the trailer that day!

Couldn't agree more and I'm thinking the motto should read "Got Stance???"

Cheers,
Mary Pozzi

[Young Gun]

nova's are next...i just happen to know i will be moving so slowing on the project that by the time the nova fad has died i will be finishing mine...

but honestly i think the pro-touring scene will remain largely the same...i think the cars of choice will change, but the concept wont...I kinda expect more obscure cars to become more popular, and i have a feeling the ford crowd is going to be getting into pro-touring more, mopars as well...i have a feeling there are gonna be lots of big bodied cars in the future...

[Hammered]

Well if trends be followed, there will be vintage NASCAR and Trans Am clones and the muscle version of ratrods. Maybe they'll be called "barn muscle" or "barn rides" because so many are found in barns.

I can see it now. Someone will buy a PT '69 Camaro and put a barn patina on the exterior, dull up the stainless trim, pull the seat seams apart and apply a generous coat of rust and dust. Four way drum brakes will be the rage and all of us who threw that stuff away will be kicking ourselves. Bolt on ladder bars, bias ply N50s, and mismatched mags will be a few of the signature appointments. Yes, the barn ride craze is coming.

[Paul_J]

I'd like to see a trend back toward home built drivers. Cars built on small budgets where good old hot rod ingenuity and adaptation over cubic dollars is the emphasis. That being said, I still want to see those who have the resources continue to push the limits. Without their contribution, many of the shops and vendors could not provide the R&D that trickles down to us little guys and I love seeing these cars! Maybe a thread on here showing first class budget builds.

[bart007]

Well if trends be followed, there will be vintage NASCAR and Trans Am clones and the muscle version of ratrods. Maybe they'll be called "barn muscle" or "barn rides" because so many are found in barns.

I can see it now. Someone will buy a PT '69 Camaro and put a barn patina on the exterior, dull up the stainless trim, pull the seat seams apart and apply a generous coat of rust and dust. Four way drum brakes will be the rage and all of us who threw that stuff away will be kicking ourselves. Bolt on ladder bars, bias ply N50s, and mismatched mags will be a few of the signature appointments. Yes, the barn ride craze is coming.

That is exactly what I am looking for and planning for my ride, rough paint and mechanically sound. Decent interior, handling and engine upgrades, nice wheel and tire combination but definetly rough around the edges. Then drive the crap out of it.

[megaladon6]

I'd like to see a trend back toward home built drivers. Cars built on small budgets where good old hot rod ingenuity and adaptation over cubic dollars is the emphasis. That being said, I still want to see those who have the resources continue to push the limits. Without their contribution, many of the shops and vendors could not provide the R&D that trickles down to us little guys and I love seeing these cars! Maybe a thread on here showing first class budget builds.

they (we?) are all over the place. it's just that nobody pays attention because the cars don't look bad enough for "rat rod" and nowhere near good enough for real praise.

[O'Neall]

I don't pretend to know the future of the style... but I will say that I think PT cars that are built with restraint and retain the essense of the car will maintain their long term appeal, whereas those really radical rides will become "fad-ish" and fall out of favor.

Just my 2 cents.

[Bill Howell]

And where's the "touring" anyway? And I don't mean the Power Tour or to a "cruise night" (why do they call them that anyway if everyone's just standing/sitting around?) I'm talking about taking your favorite companion and just driving or going on vacation. When I signed up on this site I thought I'd see some tales from the road threads but very rarely have seen one. I've taken girlfriends on day trips and vacations. Driven the 14 car (without the #'s) from New England to Florida and New orleans a few times and very rarely see any other G machine/PT type cars out there on the highways. Aren't the cars being built for "touring"?

Power Tour is a pretty good test for a protouring car IMO. I have done the last two, driven to both and driven home from both in the GTO. Over 6000 miles between the two "tours". In two years I have logged over 9000 miles on my car. I built it to be driven, not raced, and feel it has done just fine so far. I have not spent as much time on line lately as I used to, been too busy riding.....

[go-fish]

Next???
Trans Am, NASCAR type stuff. F-Bomb type builds. Street Fighter / Rat-G.
I personally have decided to go with VWW's V48's and a paint the same color as Dan Gurney's All American Racers 'cuda. Maybe have some removable vinyl "48" decals and some of these vintage race decals. The original AAR Gurney car has been my inspiration for doing a 'cuda and my favorite event ever was seeing all the TA pony cars running at North Island NAS on the tarmac for the vintage road race in Coronado. Why not honor my inspiration by copying it.
Geee, I hope IT's the next big thing!!!!

[Beige]

More new automotive technology widgets will come out and they will be applied to PT as well as other automotive styles.

[Nine Ball]

I felt the big blingy street-rod style wheels and street rod-esque interiors looked dated on these cars over 2 yrs ago. Then came the two-tone Foose wannabe paint jobs, which also look dated now. Cars with factory themed paint jobs still look timeless to me, always will.

I'm seeing more retro-Nascar type builds lately, but I think they are cool. We are seeing more cars built with performance in mind, even though some of the hardware is high dollar. Wheels are getting more of a performance focus again, instead of just trying to have the biggest diameter hoops that will fit. Less polished torque-thrusts, as more people are learning to appreciate a good set of forged lightweight racing wheels.

[vanzuuk1]

Cheers go fish!