Jeff Schwartz | |
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![]() Schwartz in 2017 | |
Born | Bemidji, Minnesota, United States | June 12, 1958
Occupation(s) | Customizer of ProTouring Custom Cars and Manufacturer of G-Machine Chassis, Owner of Schwartz Performance, Founder of the Schwartz Motocross History Museum |
Website | schwartzperformance |
Jeff Schwartz is an American protouring car builder/designer and former professional road racer who brought to market the first Bolt-in Muscle Car Chassis for GM A-body cars. [1] In his modified and equipped cars, Schwartz is a six-time winner of the Car Craft Magazine's Real Street Eliminator competition with his fifth and sixth win at the ProAm Invitational in Milwaukee, WI in 2015. [2] [3] [4] In 2013, Schwartz won "Popular Hot Rodding Magazine's Muscle Car of the Year" with his 1981 Twin Turbo TransAm [5] and was voted Car Craft Magazine's "Pro-Builder of the Year" with Jake Wallace's Twin Turbo 1967 Chevy Malibu. [6] [7] In 2017, Schwartz and his crew won his second Car Craft Pro-Builder Award with a right hand drive 1970 Cuda. [8] [9] He is the owner of Schwartz Performance in Harvard, IL, the founder of the Schwartz Motocross History Museum in McHenry County, IL and the father of two children.
Jeffrey Elmer Schwartz was born on June 12, 1958, in Bemidji, Minnesota, to Dale Elmer Schwartz and Patricia (Leseman) Schwartz. [10] A lifelong automobile and motorcycle enthusiast, Schwartz subscribed to Hot Rod Magazine and learned to weld when he was 12 years old. He went on to become an accomplished machinist with an extensive career in manufacturing and product design. Spending most of his career managing automotive parts and equipment manufacturing plants, Schwartz raced whenever possible. [11]
Schwartz started his racing career as a Motocross rider in the 1970s. Competing in an average of 36 American Motorcyclist Association (AMA) sanctioned events per year, Schwartz won awards on Puch and Monark motorcycles that were modified and equipped with his own custom designed long travel suspension systems. His competitive automobile racing began in 1979 when Schwartz won the National Council of Corvette Club Midwest Regional Championship both in Overall Points and Speed in his first year of competition. In the 80's, his professional road racing put Schwartz in control of various race cars from four and six-cylinder front-wheel-drive Sport Compacts to V8-powered GT1 Corvettes and IMSA Camaros. [12] Throughout the 1982 Central Division race season, Schwartz was inspired by Jerry Hansen, the father of TV Host and personality Courtney Hansen, to adopt a more refined racing style noting Hanson's aggressive but smooth style. Schwartz continued on to win numerous races, including the June Sprints, setting a new Showroom Stock B record at Road America, [13] set 5 SCCA National Track records and be named the 1982 SCCA Chicago Region "Rookie Driver of the Year". [14]
His 1982 SCCA year was highlighted by earning Pole Position at the SCCA National Championship Run offs [15] in which Schwartz, as Tom Mulhern wrote, "turned some heads with his performance, especially considering he was the only rookie in the field of 18 drivers from across the country" [16] but lost due to mechanical failure. [17] He was featured in several Goodyear Tire magazine ads and in 1983 moved to IMSA Pro Races, setting fastest race laps, leading and finishing on the podium at several events and receiving more public exposure. [18] Late 1983, Schwartz earned a spot in the Renault Elf Winfield Racing School at Circuit Paul Ricard in France to try out for a full-time ride with Renault Racing in Europe. [19] Losing his chance by two-tenths of a second, Schwartz was the USA group runner-up [20] for the ride that was ultimately earned by Gerhard Berger, who went on to Formula One Racing fame.
With the evolution of the automobile aftermarket industry and technologies, Schwartz realized that race car performance no longer required an uncomfortable feel. [21] He proved his idea in 2002 with his home built 1982 Cadillac Fleetwood Brougham that handled like a sports car. [22] [23] In the "Cadillac Attack", Schwartz won his first Car Craft Magazine's 2002 Real Street Eliminator competition with the fastest trap speed, fastest autocross time, and quickest ET against Camaros, Dodge Vipers and Corvettes. [24] With his second home built car, the Ultima GTR, he won the 2006 Silver State Classic Challenge 0-200 mph-0 (Z2Z) against RJ and Dan Gottlieb's notable Big Red Camaro, [25] [26] among others, set a record for fastest 0-100-0, [27] [28] and was runner up in the 2007 Silver State Classic 0-200-0. [29] [30]
In 2003, Schwartz lost his job as Manufacturing Plant Manager due to corporate restructuring. After building custom cars and motorcycles as a hobby for 26 years, many of which had been seen in major magazines, Schwartz set out on a path to put his passions to work. [31] Because Schwartz had built cars in his home garage like the ‘82 Cadillac Fleetwood Brougham that were competitive with track prepared sports cars [32] and the 1002 horsepower street legal Schwartz Ultima GTR kit car that attained magazine and TV coverage, when Schwartz opened his business in 2004, he had earned enough recognition for his first opportunity to work a concept car by Jimi Day and Murray Pfaff, Rick Weis’ Poison Dart. [33]
In 2006, Schwartz brought to market the First Bolt-in Muscle Car chassis for the GM A-Body 1964 Chevelle known as the Schwartz G-Machine A-body Chassis. He then immediately followed with the First Bolt-in full frame for Unibody cars. [34] Schwartz has since developed and improved upon over 20 track-tested chassis designs to work in 25 models of GM, Ford and Mopar cars and trucks. [35]
Debuting at the 2012 Car Craft Pro-Builder shootout, [36] Schwartz' 1981 Twin Turbo Trans Am, dubbed the "Full Force Trans Am" due to its Full Frame and Forced induction, was built for himself and showcased the pairing of a Schwartz Full Frame Chassis and its handling capability with the high-horsepowered performance of a Schwartz modified engine. The ’81 TransAm featured a Schwartz G-Machine full chassis, Schwartz 1300 hp Twin Turbo 6.9 liter engine and was topped with a "one of a kind" bird, designed by Murray Pfaff. [37]
In 2013, Schwartz' '81 Trans Am was the runner up in the Car Craft Real Street Eliminator [38] and won the Popular Hot Rodding Muscle Car of the Year Shoot-Out. In the same year, Schwartz was voted the CAR CRAFT "Pro-Builder of the Year" with Jake Wallace's Twin Turbo 1967 Chevy Malibu. [6] [7]
Known as a master when it comes to rebuilding classic vehicles [39] that are engineered to handle a road course, [40] [41] [42] Brake Parts Inc., the manufacturer of Raybestos Brakes, commissioned Schwartz to build several of their Giveaway Cars. [43] Partnering with Schwartz for their 1971 Raybestos Camaro build [44] the Raybestos Camaro was the runner-up for both the 2014 Car Craft Muscle Car of the Year Shootout [45] and the 2014 Real Street Eliminator [46] Their 2nd build, a 1969 Raybestos FastBack Mustang. [47] [23] was given away at the AAPEX show in Las Vegas in 2016. [48] In 2017, Raybestos teamed up with Schwartz for a 3rd time for a 1953 Chevy Pick-Up Truck Build. [49] [50]
In 2016, Schwartz founded the Schwartz Motocross History Museum which is dedicated to the preservation and education of Motocross history. With his extensive collection of 1970s bikes from around the world, Schwartz is an active member in the vintage motocross bike restoration and racing community. [51]
Drag racing is a type of motor racing in which automobiles or motorcycles compete, usually two at a time, to be first to cross a set finish line. The race follows a short, straight course from a standing start over a measured distance, most commonly 1⁄4 mi, with a shorter, 1,000 ft distance becoming increasingly popular, as it has become the standard for Top Fuel dragsters and Funny Cars, where some major bracket races and other sanctioning bodies have adopted it as the standard. The 1⁄8 mi is also popular in some circles. Electronic timing and speed sensing systems have been used to record race results since the 1960s.
Muscle car is a description according to the online Merriam-Webster Dictionary in 2022 that came to use in 1966 for "a group of American-made two-door sports coupes with powerful engines designed for high-performance driving." The online Britannica Dictionary described these in 2022 as "an American-made two-door sports car with a powerful engine."
The Chevrolet Camaro is a mid-size American automobile manufactured by Chevrolet, classified as a pony car. It first went on sale on September 29, 1966, for the 1967 model year and was designed to compete with the Ford Mustang. The Camaro shared its platform and major components with the Firebird, produced by General Motors' Pontiac division that was also introduced for 1967.
Hot rods are typically American cars that might be old, classic, or modern and that have been rebuilt or modified with large engines optimized for speed and acceleration. One definition is: "a car that's been stripped down, souped up and made to go much faster." However, there is no definition of the term that is universally accepted and the term is attached to a wide range of vehicles. Most often they are individually designed and constructed using components from many makes of old or new cars, and are most prevalent in the United States and Canada. Many are intended for exhibition rather than for racing or everyday driving.
The Chevrolet "big block" engine is a term for a series of large-displacement, naturally-aspirated, 90°, overhead valve, gasoline-powered, V8 engines; that were developed and produced by the Chevrolet Division of General Motors, from the 1950s until present.
Kustom Kulture is the artworks, vehicles, hairstyles, and fashions of those who have driven and built custom cars and motorcycles in the United States of America from the 1950s through today. It was born out of the hot rod culture of Southern California of the 1960s.
A rat rod, as usually known today, is a custom car with a deliberately worn-down, unfinished appearance, typically lacking paint, showing rust, and made from cheap or cast-off parts. These parts can include non-automotive items that have been repurposed, such as a rifle used as a gear shifter, wrenches as door handles, or hand saws as sun visors. Whether or not so appointed, the rat rod uniquely conveys its builder’s imagination.
Specialty Equipment Market Association (SEMA) of the automobile aftermarket was formed in 1963 by Paul Schiefer, Roy Richter, Ed Iskenderian, Els Lohn, Willie Garner, Bob Hedman, Robert E. Wyman, John Bartlett, Phil Weiand Jr, Al Segal, Dean Moon, and Vic Edelbrock Jr. Now it consists of 6,383 companies worldwide, bringing together aftermarket manufacturers, original equipment manufacturers (OEM), media, car dealers, specialty equipment distributors, installers, retailers, and restoration specialists.
A custom car is a passenger vehicle that has been altered to either improve its performance, change its aesthetics, or a combination of both. Some automotive enthusiasts in the United States want to push "styling and performance a step beyond the showroom floor - to truly craft an automobile of one's own." A custom car in British according to Collins English Dictionary is built to the buyer's own specifications.
Douglas Sam "Chip" Foose is an American automobile designer, artist, and star designer of the car-customization reality television series Overhaulin'.
The Silver State Classic Challenge is an authorized Open Road Racing event that is run since 1988 on a 90 mi (140 km) stretch of State Route 318 in Nevada, United States, which is closed for the occasion.
Lee Alan Shepherd was an American drag racing driver from Arlington, Texas.
Chevrolet Performance, formerly GM Performance Parts, is an automotive performance parts brand that sells everything from camshafts and cylinder heads to high-performance crate engines and upgrades for late-model vehicles. It was founded in 1967 to support the Trans-Am Camaro race teams. Chevrolet Performance was formed as a way to support all the various Trans Am teams across the United States, but the brand saw enough demand to start selling high-performance parts to the general public. Today, Chevrolet Performance not only sells performance parts, but also helps develop Chevrolet's high-performance vehicles and supports teams in nearly every form of automotive racing.
Russell James Liberman was an American funny car drag racer, nicknamed "Jungle Jim." In 2001, he was named #17 on the list of the Top 50 NHRA drivers of all time. Liberman was known for driving backwards at 100 miles per hour (160 km/h) after doing his burnout.
Myron Cottrell was the founder and owner of TPI Specialties, an automobile parts manufacturer, and Cottrell Racing Engines, a machine shop and engine building shop. He is also active in automobile racing, collecting, and restoration.
William Tyler Jenkins, nicknamed "Grumpy" or "The Grump", was an engine builder and drag racer. Between 1965 and 1975, he won a total of thirteen NHRA events. Most of these wins were won with a four-speed manual transmission. In 1972 he recorded 250 straight passes without missing a shift.
Pro-Touring is a style of classic muscle car with enhanced suspension components, brake system, drivetrain, and aesthetics, including many of the amenities of a new performance car. These modified muscle cars have been developed to function as well as, or to surpass, the capabilities of the foremost modern performance vehicles. Pro-Touring cars are built with an emphasis on function and are intended to be driven. Whether they are driven on the street, the race track, the drag strip, or through cones at an auto-cross is of no difference.
Motor Trend Group, LLC, formerly known as Source Interlink Media and TEN: The Enthusiast Network, is a media company that specializes in enthusiast brands, such as Motor Trend, Hot Rod, and Roadkill. Headquartered in El Segundo, California, it is a subsidiary of the TNT Sports division of Warner Bros. Discovery (WBD).
Doug Thorley was an American Funny Car drag racer, hot rodder and businessman. In 1967, he won the NHRA Nationals' first Funny Car Eliminator title, and was given Car Craft's All-Star Drag Racing Team Funny Car Driver of the Year Award in 1968. Hot Rod magazine describes him as "one of drag racing's most famous early era drivers."
Steve Reyes is an American photographer and storyteller from Oakland, California. Reyes has been included in Don Garlits' International Drag Racing Hall of Fame (2002), NHRA California Hot Rod Reunion Honorees (2009), and the East Coast Drag Times Hall of Fame (2011).
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