20 Years Ago
November 2002: 100 pages, $3.99
“We tell you every trick in the book” promised the “More Power from Any Engine” cover blurb, supported by a story by Steve Magnante and David Freiburger that offered “brand-indifferent techniques you can do.” You can, that is, if you’re a machinist or engine builder, as these tips and tricks were machine-shop oriented. On the cover was of the new Chevy ZL1 crate engine, which Marlan magazine’s 10th Americruise and provided a look at the state of land speed racing as seen by SCTA President Roy Creel. “Save the Salt” was a rallying cry then, as now; but concerns about the sport dying seem to have abated since then as younger rodders make the pilgrimage to Bonneville in larger numbers today. The “Free Poster Inside” featured Bob Giesbrecht’s Hugger Orange ’69 Camaro, a car that Freiburger said represented an evolution of Pro Street. Gone were the “garish” graphics, “poke to heaven” blower and “coilovers cranked to kill.” In their place was monochrome paint, a fuel-injected 502 and Air Ride Technologies air bags. “Does Pro Street live?” Freiburger asked. “You betcha.”
