Detroit Speed leads the way in the Pro Touring market, thanks to years of engineering experience and thousands of hours of research and development, as well as rigorous testing on and off the track. All components are manufactured in the United States, and each component serves a major purpose.
Whether you buy a complete suspension kit or piece yours together with individual components from Detroit Speed, you’ll reap the benefits of a race-proven design with the practicality of your everyday driver. Rear suspension kits are also available to bring the tired suspension into the modern era.
Already established with valued employees, the move was no simple task, but it made the most sense on many levels. The employees of Detroit Speed were so passionate about their careers that they moved their families to North Carolina. That says a lot for the integrity of the company and the common desire among its employees to get bigger and better. Now the company operates in a 35,000-square-foot facility with 45 employees who handle sales, marketing, product manufacturing, car builds, and much more.
Kyle and Stacy Tucker are still heavily involved with the day-to-day operations at Detroit Speed, and you’ll likely see them at many events every year, racing their “test cars,” including the 1969 Camaro, 1970 Camaro, 1963 Chevy II, 1965 Chevelle, and several others. They thrash on their cars, getting a true test of their components, and proving the performance potential to customers who might have thought the parts were just to make the car sit lower. At the end of the day, it is one of the best forms of marketing, but it’s also enjoyable for Kyle and Stacy because driving these Pro Touring beasts is just as much fun as building them.
The engineering process is extensive at Detroit Speed, and for good reason. Kyle and Stacy Tucker want their products to perform at the highest level possible. The parts have to be strong and 100 percent effective. Attention to detail put Detroit Speed’s handcrafted products at the top of the food chain.
Just as they used The Twister as a marketing tool, Kyle and Stacy Tucker continue to promote Detroit Speed by showing off their project vehicles. They call them “test cars,” and use them at many autocross events across the country. These cars are always in the top of the running order!
From day one, Detroit Speed has concentrated on functional products that provide real-world handling differences. It began with first-generation Camaros and later blossomed to many other platforms, most of which fall under the GM umbrella. However, Detroit Speed’s recent efforts have been focused on Ford Mustang suspension, so they are certainly reaching out as the years roll on.
The goal with involving Detroit Speed in the making of this book is to give you the inside scoop on the components, while also coaching you through the installation and tuning process. Kyle Tucker is one of the best in the business, so when he agreed to share some of his chassis and suspension knowledge, it was a no-brainer, and Detroit Speed’s How to Build a Pro Touring Car was born. If you’re interested in building a Pro Touring car, keep reading for an in-depth view of the necessary steps to make it happen with your favorite muscle car.
Along with promoting the brand with high-tech Pro Touring cars, Detroit Speed has an awesome 18-wheeler setup that offers an up-close-and-personal look at its products. Detroit Speed travels to many Goodguys events, as well as many other events that cater to the Pro Touring crowd.
What started as a hobby for Kyle Tucker turned into a business venture, and the rest, as they say, is history. Detroit Speed is a leader in the automotive aftermarket industry, and this book is a guide to building your very own Pro Touring vehicle.
The Twister
Kyle and Stacy Tucker are fully immersed in the Pro Touring market but their initial efforts were prior to the market’s rapid growth. The car was known as The Twister and it was based on a 1969 Camaro, one of the most popular Pro Touring platforms of all time.
The engineering that went into The Twister build was the result of minimal aftermarket product support. The Tuckers couldn’t find any suspension components that met their needs so they decided to design their own and put them to use. It took two and a half years to build The Twister but when you consider that most of the suspension parts were built from scratch in Kyle’s spare time, the overall build time frame was fairly quick. What Kyle didn’t know was that his Camaro project would be the greatest marketing tool he could’ve created.
Making a first impression in the automotive aftermarket is a big step for building a business, and Detroit Speed’s first build, The Twister, is a perfect example. The Tuckers set out to make it handle well, and as a result of their modifications, the car presented the textbook Pro Touring look. Large-diameter wheels with wide tires, a lowered stance, and trick suspension made it a standout at national events, and word quickly spread that it wasn’t simply a show car; it was built to perform. This car had a fuel injected small-block, a manual transmission with overdrive, huge Baer disc brakes on all four corners, and even a roll cage. Most of these items were not standard street car equipment at the time, so the car had major wow factor. The bright yellow paint job was icing on the cake for this attention-getting machine.
Under the hood of The Twister is a 406-ci small-block Chevy engine, outfitted with aluminum heads and a tuned-port fuel injection system. Also notable is the Vintage Air A/C system, which made the car’s debut at the Hot Rod Power Tour a comfortable weeklong journey.
Pro Touring had just started when Kyle and Stacy Tucker debuted The Twister, a bright yellow 1969 Camaro that turned the hot rodding world on its ear. Kyle and Stacy built it from the ground up, and used the car as the ultimate marketing tool for their up-and-coming business.
The Twister Camaro debuted on the Hot Rod Power Tour in the summer of 2000. Everyone loved the car, and the fact that it functioned well and looked great garnered lots of attention from magazines including Car Craft, Chevy High Performance, Hot Rod, and Super Rod. A few short months after The Twister made its way to several events, the phone was ringing off the hook with folks who were interested in everything from complete builds to individual components.
With the amount of magazine exposure created by the first build, the Tuckers saw a great demand in the market and took it to the next level. Kyle was so driven by the success of his Camaro build that he took a leave of absence at General Motors in December 2000, starting Detroit Speed, Inc. out of his two-car garage. Kyle’s boss offered to restore his position if things didn’t work out with the new business idea, while Stacy kept her engineering job at General Motors during this time. It was only a couple years before business picked up to the point