Milt Schornack and the Royal Bobcat GTOs
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About the Book
The original muscle car, the Royal Bobcat GTO was the baby of a burgeoning Detroit subculture, one not sanctioned by the big automakers of the early 1960s. In a post–World War II America hungry for chrome, flash and speed, Royal Pontiac in Royal Oak, Michigan, modified and sold its souped-up versions of GTOs to customers, and in the process created a demand for custom street racers in America. Founded by Ace Wilson, the Royal name became synonymous with speed.
This book outlines the history of the Royal Bobcat GTO, from the people—including Milt Schornack, the mechanic who raced for Royal Pontiac and was responsible for the custom Bobcats—to the fabled midnight test runs on northern Detroit’s famous Woodward Avenue. Fourteen chapters, illustrated with 25 photographs of vintage GTOs, the infamous Car & Driver road test photos against a Ferrari GTO, and more, chronicle the history of a car that changed the focus of the Detroit auto industry for the next decade. Former editor-in-chief of Hot Rod Magazine Ro McGonegal contributes a foreword.
About the Author(s)
Bibliographic Details
Keith J. MacDonald with Milt Schornack
Foreword by Ro McGonegal
Format: softcover (6 x 9)
Pages: 208
Bibliographic Info: photos, notes, bibliography, index
Copyright Date: 2006
pISBN: 978-0-7864-2387-3
Imprint: McFarland
Table of Contents
Acknowledgments vi
Foreword by Ro McGonegal 1
Preface 5
Introduction: Michigan Nights 9
1. The Pre-Royal Days 15
2. The Beginning—1963 25
3. Lil’ GTO—1964 35
4. Those Royal Bobcats—1965 46
5. The Royal Racing Team—1966 70
6. Down Shifting the Momentum—1967 104
7. It’s Not Easy Being Green—1968 125
8. Heat on the Street: Woodward Avenue’s High-Octane Burn—1969 143
9. An Era Concludes—1970–71
10. The Truth about Ram Air 178
11. Lil’ GTO: Redux 183
12. The Return of the Project Cars 192
Index 197
Book Reviews & Awards
“entertaining and worthwhile reading”—SAH Journal; “well-rounded”—Culpepper Star Exponent.
