PRO TOURING : Where Has It Been, and Where Is It Going?

Pro Touring is a movement in the automotive world that focuses on building performance cars that excel in all areas, including practicality and daily driving. While the exact origins of Pro Touring are difficult to pinpoint, it gained popularity in the late 1980s and early 1990s. Mark Stielow, a GM engineer, is credited with being one of the early adopters of this style. The term "Pro Touring" was coined by Stielow during a conversation with the editor of Chevy High Performance magazine in 1998. Since then, Pro Touring has evolved and gained recognition, with events like the Optima Ultimate Street Car Invitational showcasing these cars. However, there is a concern that the competitive nature of the movement has shifted the focus towards building race cars for the street, rather than street cars that perform well on the track. The future of Pro Touring remains uncertain, but it will likely continue until a new idea emerges in the high-performance car industry. [Extracted from the article]