Word of the Day: Pro Street

stuart in mn said:

Rick Dobbertin was a big player in the Pro Street movement as well.  Look up pictures of the Pontiac J2000 he built, although his early Nova was a more realistic street car.  These days he's working on a setup for narrowing late model Corvette suspensions for use in ProTouring cars.

To me this was the beginning of the end for Pro Street.

Then of course he went and made this:

Fun fact. He tested it in the waters of Cazenovia Lake, Cazenovia, NY. Where I went to college.

I remember the write up of that thing in car and driver.  Wasn't he planning to drive it around with world or something?

so many short shorts on guys in those classic pics. also trucker hats.

^Yes, non-ironic trucker hats. Only people in grunge bands did ironic things in the Pro Street days.

glueguy said:

NOHOME said:

 

 

 

 I wonder where they all are today......

 

They’re under a tarp, next to someone’s beach house in New Jersey. 

NickD said:

........

 

It had ultra-wide steelies and white walls on it

From what I've read, he cut and sliced the body up on that pretty good, even changing character lines, but it all looks stock. 

Drool.

My build back in the day - 468 crate BBC from RHS, Turbo 400, and a 12-bolt.

(My wife-to-be in 1986 - we'll hit 32 years in May)

It was more fun than my 2.8L Capri!

Forrest in Atlanta

Yes - it was tagged and insured -

Forrest

In reply to McDesign :

funny how even within a genre like pro street, you can identify early / mid / late by things like rake.  i'm guessing your car was done a couple years before that 1986 photo?

I was there 

I keep saying the stink bug stance is with the skinnies and fatties is due to come back soon.

I think I've always loved the look because I'm just young enough to have missed its popularity the last time it was cool. 

What arguably may be the first pro street car was the 1955 Chevy built by Gary Kollofski back in 1977.

He followed it up with a twin turbo 1936 Willys in 1979.

He got out of hot rodding for a number of years and was into high powered boats.  A few years back he took one of his spare marine engines (a 730 cubic inch Italian BPM V12, good for 620 hp and 713 ft-lb torque) and put it in another 1955 Chevy.

He lives in the Twin Cities; I met him once shortly before he started the build of the V12 car - it was an rust free, straight six w/ three speed, genuine little old lady car.  

Just a personal aside, glad to see all of this chatter on this project. 

Thanks and carry on. 

AngryCorvair said:

In reply to McDesign :

funny how even within a genre like pro street, you can identify early / mid / late by things like rake.  i'm guessing your car was done a couple years before that 1986 photo?

Yep!