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With the booming
interest in drag racing's renaissance period, the growing search
and discovery of the era's hardware unearths more cars (most
woefully incomplete) than there are people truly
qualified to restore them.
Few of the original
craftsmen are today active, able, or willing to fill this need.
The succeeding generation, while willing and eager, have only
a few of the bones as a guide, but none ever got close to riding
the dinosaur.
A singular exception
for the new milleninum is Pat Foster of Foster ProFab.
Over the last 35 years Pat Foster has literally built everything
from Gas Coupes to Land Speed Record cars with every iteration
of Dragster and Funny in between. Working with the likes
of Woody Gilmore, Ronnie Scrima, Frank Huszar, Jim Hume, John
Buttera, Nye Frank, Tom Jobe and Mickey Thompson... Foster was
involved in virtually every aspect of the Southern California
cum national racing scene.
Beyond his craft
and innovation, Pat was the test pilot de rigueur. Best
remembered as a touring professional, he was generally the first
one turned to for the shake down runs in a new design or to sort
out a the evil spirits haunting an existing ride. Neither
reckless nor foolish, Foster was the ultimate behaviorist when
it came to sorting out a hot rod. Today he lives and breaths
due more to his technical understanding than blind luck and bravery.
Although, the latter is subject to considerable debate.
A builder at
heart, after finally hanging up his helmet, Pat turned to Sports
Racing Prototypes in Can Am and ultimately embracing the new
generation aerospace metals and advanced composites, fabricated
the prototypes for the near unbeatable Nissan IMSA GTP program.
As a restorer/recreator
of old drag cars, Foster is unique in that he can handle the
pipe as well as the tin. He starts early, puts in
a full day and gets a lot done. Generally limiting himself
to one project at a time, he gets the job back in the customer's
hands in real time. Just ask legendary car owner Bob Creitz,
who just had the chassis for the "Creitz & Donovan"
AA/FD restored at ProFab. Foster
is the man! |
