Call your project what you will, Pro Street, Pro Touring, maybe even G-machine if that excites you. How about weekend warrior or street/strip toy? My friends call theirs weekend rollers. Whatever you name it, you can't deny that today's aftermarket manufacturers have really opened up the doors to what I'm deeming pro-functional. Of course, this isn't going to coin a new term by any means, but it's more of my personal reflection on where most project cars are headed these days. Where am I going with this?
It wasn't long ago that 500 hp was a number that would cause most people to stand in awe. Now, don't get me wrong, it's still a lot of grunt, and for a street car I have yet to see anyone who can plant that kind of power to the rear wheels, unless they're riding on a set of stickies at the dragstrip. How about that same powerplant cradled in between the fenderwells of a road course-prepped Chevelle, Camaro, or whatever your car of choice is. Frankly, unless you've had some sort of experience behind the wheel of an Open Track-prepped car, you're in for one hell of an e-ride that could scare the daylights out of you. And if it doesn't, it'll get you in trouble soon enough.
Getting back to the aftermarket and what's currently available, I recently checked out a local shop around my digs, and saw what looked like your typically mundane third-gen Camaro, albeit an extraordinarily clean one. The real treat wasn't only what was underneath the hood, but the entire chassis itself. We're talking about a twin turbo-packing small-block that put out in excess of 1,500 hp, outfitted with a suspension that would have most corner-carvers drooling. Add in the big brakes and the full exhaust, and you had the ultimate sleeper that could probably outperform most exotics.
Yes, it took a few minutes to gather my composure, but it also made me think. As much as I enjoyed the car, it was just way over the top. Would I love to own it? Sure. Would I want to hand over my checkbook for it? Unfortunately, that's not even an option. Still, it's fairly obvious that the tools, talent, and products are readily available to produce these supercars-but when is a build just right and when is it too much? What's your idea of the perfect ride, regardless of whether or not you can afford it? More importantly, would it only go straight? Would it only turn? Or would your car do it all like the aforementioned example? Inquiring minds want to know, namely yours truly. You know the drill: Fire up the computer and hit me up at the e-mail address listed below.