The Street Fighters

Interview with Ron Schwarz and his Streetfighter 66 Mustang fastback.

Around the protouring/ Gmachine forums Ron’s car is notorious, for many reasons.. I for one watched this guy take a chunk of sea coral you would call a 66 mustang fasty
and make it into this badass streetfighter page after page after page… with each update as astonishing as the next.. with all the work practically done himself.
the thread he named for the car was “$5000 budget mustang build”.. and that was it.. a strait to the point title for a car that was strait to the point.. mean!
so i got a chance to catch up with Ron about the mustang and how he feels about the fact many view it as a veritable road brawler.. with its bulging widebodied handfabbed fenders,
and his LS1(yes chevy, we dont care about branding here.) motor that he recently grenaded.. and will probably get another chevy motor within its framerails.. and heres how we chopped it up.

1. Do you think your car is a Streetfighter?

I suppose my Mustang would be considered a Streetfighter, with the no frills budget approach, and heavy use of used and fabricated parts. The paint makes for a good 20 footer, and I have to say I’ve loved not worrying about keeping it waxed, hell I’ve only washed it a 2 or 3 times. The poor thing hasn’t seen an easy life so far, and I don’t see that changing anytime soon.

2. What do you think a Streetfighter(car) is?

My definition of a Streetfighter would be a car that is totally function over looks. A car that the owners ingenuity can sometimes trump a fat wallet. Although I do believe a high end car can be a Streetfighter, that is the exception not the rule. The cool part about the fighter cars is that there can be so many different styles, (drag cars, pro touring cars, ricers, even street rods). I think the Streetfighter name fits perfectly, bare knuckled brawler that loves action way more then looking pretty.

3. How long have you been interested in the Streetfighter style build?
I tubbed my first Streetfighter at 16, I’m now 46. We didn’t call them Streetfighters then, they were just street cars. At 16, you did all you could with what you had (which wasn’t much). Remember me and a couple buddies, jacking an (I-95) highway street sign to fabricate the tubs and floors.

4. What do you think the point to a Streetfighter build should be?
In a word Fun. To beat, pound, and terrorize our cars, and neighborhoods, with little time spent setting in a parking lot in a folding chair.

5. Streetfighter and pro-touring… similarities?, differences?

In my opinion Streetfighters have been around long before the Pro Touring movement started. Certain street cars fit the fighter profile all the way back in the 50’s. The touring cars have of Modernized powertrains, brakes, and suspensions with a style emulating the 60’s and 70’s Trans Am race series cars. Although that same thing could be said about some Streetfighters. I believe a carbureted big block with drum brakes could fit the fighter, but not the touring car.

6. The essential modifications visual and functional?

I do believe a Streetfighter must have a certain look. Any body mods (scoops, flares, spoilers) MUST BE FUNCTIONAL!! Any attempts to modify an already attractive car just for looks, will be highly frowned upon. The cool part is, the mods can done with no thoughts of perfection (primer, and jagged edges are acceptable, sometimes desirable) Big tires, obnoxious attitude are mandatory.

7. Do Streetfighter builds only apply to the lowbuck or are there Highdollar fighters?
At first I thought cars like Bad Penny couldn’t be a brawler (just too pretty). Then I raced against it, drove through the crappy weather with it, and saw Steve Rupps approach to his car. Function!!! Oh, it looks cool, but his mods are function first. I think I said it earlier, these cars are the exception not the rule. Most of the time fighters are a little more rough around the edges, and are equipped with options such as duct tape and bailing wire.

8. Do you think a Streetfighter build is restricted to American cars or others?

I’ve gotten my ass spanked by some nasty looking rotary Mazdas at the drag strip.These cars were definitely Streetfighters. A low dollar approach to spanking my Hemi Cuda. Totally gained my respect, and I loved the way the owners didn’t waist time paint, or nice wheels. Yes, as much as I hate to say it, Ricers can be fighters.

9. When they say “street” what type of conduct do you think applies to these cars on the street?
Who’s listening??
I’ve done some things through the years that I’m not exactly proud of. Been in a few high speed chases, and lost my license several times to show for it. I would not recommend this behavior, we all like let it hang out there, but not at someone else’s expense. Use your head, don’t do anything that could hurt someone else.

10. The Streetfighter type people you have met along the way, what are they like?

The group I hang with, are a great group of guys, that enjoy the same thing we all do. Pounding on our rides with little thoughts to wax. Would rather be cruising then sitting.

11. To those who are afraid of this type of build style(ie: because of chipping their paint) what would you say?

Pussy!!!!

Some words from the man himself..

A conversation with legendary streetfighter Steve Chryssos.

Do you think your car is a Streetfighter?

Yeah I do! Every time I see my car or climb into it, I feel like I just stole a race car from the track. And it polarizes people. Love it or hate it, there is nothing quite like it.

What do you think a Streetfighter car is?

The shortest path to an explanation is “Race Car for the Street”. That is the lowest common denominator. Lean and aggressive with a different priority sequence than, say a street rod or restored vehicle. How you achieve that end-game is up to you. It bugs me that people hijack the term to rationalize their cars’ deficiencies: “Budget” or “Ratty” or “Dented”. A streetfighter can have dents, but the dents to don’t make it streetfighter. One more thing: I hope that the term relates to cars that handle and brake well. As such, I view it as a subset of pro-touring.

How long have you been interested in the Streetfighter style build?

Long before it had a name, the cars have been around. A 1976 Porsche RSR is a race car for the street. I built a Tamiya 1/12th scale replica of that car as a kid. It inspired me to learn more about these cars. I was blown away that a car manufacturer would sell a car with a roll cage, rear seat delete and other key race car features as part of the homologation process. Big Red is a street driven race car as are a ton of movie and TV cars. Hal Needham in the 70’s, Enzo Ferrari in the 60’s–even those hooligan Bentley brothers in the 20’s. They all built streetfighters.

What do you think the point to a Streetfighter build should be?

The reaction might vary, but we build cars that punch you in the face when you see them. Each day, when I open the door to my shop and turn on the lights, I’m still blown away by how cool these cars are. Alternative striping, killer wheels with alternative finished and exposed hardware. Personally speaking, traditional pro-touring cars are too subtle for my tastes. Streetfighters make you stop and think. The adrenaline should start flowing as soon as you turn the key. Budget or not, funds are allocated towards performance parts before creature comforts. That doesn’t mean that all creature comforts are taboo. But if your car has working AC and a killer stereo but no brakes, you missed the exit. Turn around and try again.

Streetfighter and pro-touring… Similarities? Differences?

They both stop, steer and accelerate better than stock. That traditional pro-touring car is subtle. It looks like it drove out of a new car showroom—not escaped from a race track. And in the showroom, “fully loaded” is considered a plus. At the racetrack, fully loaded means overweight and slow. One example: Factory “Rally” stripes are right at home on a pro-touring car. We prefer to employ alternative graphics on the cars that we design. Shocked has a single rally stripe that runs perpendicular to the original design. I actually had some dude step up to inform me that we painted the stripe on wrong. Seriously.
Another example: Pro-touring cars could have softer suspension for long distance cruising. A streetfighter enthusiast might step up spring rates for high speed handling at the expense of low speed comfort.

The essential modifications visual and functional?

I don’t wish to demand a mandatory list of mods or cues. Doing so undermines the idea of a pro-touring alternative. A pendulum exists with race car at one end of the spectrum and touring car at the other end. My car has 650 pound front springs, 3 piece wheels, a roll cage, no back seat, no AC and stripes inspired by a Mopar. If I add AC tomorrow, the AAR cuda inspired stripe and sheet metal rear spoiler will still offend or inspire the same people.

Do Streetfighter builds only apply to the low-buck or are there High dollar fighters?

It has nothing to do with money. We are building a streetfighter right now with a twin turbo LS3. It ain’t cheap but it IS a race car for the street. It will be more hardcore than Hoover—the last build. But it will also be more expensive. I’m seriously weirded out by people asking if there car qualifies as Streetfighter. The build style is alternative and counterculture. Like punk rock (real punk rock) the Streetfighter build style flies in the face of convention. If everyone does it—or if you need to ask for permission, then you have it wrong. No one should be in a position to ask for or grant permission.

Do you think a Streetfighter build is restricted to American cars or others?

No, I don’t think there should be any restrictions. Domestic or foreign, I dig cars from all countries. My buddy Tom Heath has a turbo Miata with a WW II themed paint scheme. It hauls ass and offends everyone.

When they say “street” what type of conduct do you think applies to these cars on the street?

The more time I spend at racetracks, the less I want to mess around on the street. But at the same time, every hot rodder that I know exceeds the speed limit and experiences “excessive wheelspin” from time to time. Feel free to drive like a mook as long as you accept responsibility for your actions. Driving fast at a track is always ALWAYS more fun than messing around on the street. The only time you should be looking over your shoulder is to see if you are about to get passed. Unless you are robbing a bank, car chases are no fun at all.

The Streetfighter type people you have met along the way, what are they like?

There must be a streetfighter gene. It’s as though we were all separated at birth. We like the same movies, have similar taste in music, food, clothes and, of course, cars. A focused, competitive streak seems common to the genome, as well. And streetfighter types do not seem overly concerned about resale value.

To those who are afraid of this type of build style (i.e., because of chipping their paint) what would you say?

Make a complete list of your cars intended parts, specifications and goals. Then prioritize that list. You will find that your car leans towards one end of the spectrum or the other—race car or touring. It all comes down to how the priorities get shuffled. There is nothing wrong with traditional pro-touring. Expect better comfort and resale value from a good P-T car. It is entirely possible to build a fast, competitive pro-touring car. And you will always fit in at car shows.

But if you prefer to beat on your car and raise eyebrows, the pendulum might swing more in the direction of a stripped down, raunchy Streetfighter.

Either way, get your car done and drive it.

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