20 Years Ago 
February 2003: 116 pages, $3.99
Thoughts about the Pro Touring movement-for and against-was a theme throughout the issue, beginning with Editor-in-Chief David Freiburger's assertion that "Pro Touring is as bad as Pro Street, if not worse," in his Starting Line column. (He did title the column, "Alienating Half the Readers in the First Sentence.") Later in the issue he wrote a history of the Pro Street phenomenon and wondered if it was "poised for a comeback." Both Pro Touring and Pro Street also figured prominently in the issue's cover story, in which 20 experts from the aftermarket, race sanctioning bodies, design houses, and magazine staff were asked to crystal-ball coming trends. Ford designer Larry Erickson was among many who saw continued growth in Pro Touring, while Flowmaster's Kevin McClelland and Comp Cams' Scooter Brothers expected Pro Street and Pro Touring trends to influence each other. Holley's Shane Weckerly said Pro Street "will never go away." The cover car, Ken La Fortune's '66 Nova, was offered as an example of Pro Touring done right, as the big-block coupe was a five-time Power Tour veteran. Editor Ro McGonegal started a new series about the revival of the Crusher Camaro project car, "back now with a big, big bullet in its gut and a chassis that'll take anything the motor can fire at it." The skyline blurb teased Senior Tech Editor Marlan Davis's story "Metallurgy Made Simple" when buying a reciprocating assembly.
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40 Years Ago 
February 1983: 124 pages, $1.75 
The "Street Heroes" cover blurb refers to the pavement-pounding features in the issue, starting with the flamed '71 Satellite on the cover. Mike Mattern bought the one-time grocery-getter from his mom and spent two years rebuilding it with a 440 Six Pack, Hemi four-speed, and a NASCAR-like suspension rake. Those "Banzai Runners" blurbed in the corner were a "collection of haulin' hybrids" of the engine-swap kind, including a Porsche 930, Cobra replica and Datsun 280Z with big-block Chevy powertrains; a small-block-Chevy-powered Pantera; a Sunbeam stuffed full of turbocharged 302; a '79 Datsun ZX with a turbocharged small-block Chevy; and a '69 Jaguar XKE with a 302-inch Ford. There was a lot of suspension tech in the issue, from Senior Editor Gray Baskerville's overview of new street rod front suspensions to Executive Editor John Baechtel's look at lowering '82-'83 F-Bodies. Pat Ganahl had a different take on the new Camaro, Project Z26: Buy a V6 Camaro and use the price difference between it and the Z28 to "build your own personalized version of a Z-car." Technical Editor Marlan Davis reviewed the '83 Mustang convertible, the first drop-top Mustang in 10 years, and he presented a selection of "revolutionary new products" spotted at the 1982 SEMA Show. Nitrous kits, a reusable oil filter, a "Top Fuel" scoop for the street and ignition systems from MSD and Mallory were among the featured products.
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60 Years Ago 
February 1963: 120 pages, 50 cents 
There isn't a single blurb about it on the cover, but the engine featured is a Corvair mill "with Dellorto carbs and bathed in chrome." Photo Editor Eric Rickman's story described how intake modifications added "about 20 horses" to "Chevy's little stockers." Technical Editor Ray Brock was busy covering Detroit news, including the new 326-inch V8 for Pontiac's Tempest. He also asked, "What's Ford Up To?" for the new year and answered the question with the introduction of the high-performance 427-inch Galaxie engine and the Hi-Po 289 for the Falcon. The NHRA's Jack Hart outlined new rules for the 1963 drag racing season, which included "optional" fuel dragster classes, signaling the NHRA's fuel ban was coming to an end. An eight-page story by NASCAR driver Cotton Owens told readers "How to Build a Grand National Stock Car Racer" in an overview of just about every component on a Dodge race car. Besides Rickman's Corvair coverage, tech stories included Don Francisco's conclusion to a series about a Pontiac engine swap into a Thunderbird, Roger Huntington's examination of heavy flywheels in drag racing (using their inertia "like extra engine torque in the low rev ranges"), and the second of a three-part series on drum brakes. Racing coverage included Rex White's surprising win in NASCAR's Dixie 400 and Don Garlits taking Top Eliminator and low e.t. (8.45 seconds) at the Florida State Championship Drags.

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What Is Pro Street?

Pro Street in Pure Vision

THE GAS ERA LIVES ON

MOTOR HEAD FOR LIFE

BRINGING BACK PRO STREET!

SWEET ASPIRATIONS

Making Bad Decisions Badder

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