At Fowler Automotive Street & Track we provide auto service for sports & luxury cars as well as transport & trackside support for vintage race cars and teams. Dan Fowler started F.A.S.T Company in 2011 with the encouragement and support of the many race teams who have depended upon his expertise as a Bosch certified mechanic for over 50 years.
In the Fall of 2014 Dan finalized the purchase of his building and completed an full restoration of the facility to make it the most state-of-the art service facility for vintage race cars, performance street cars and exotics in the regional area. Here's a bit of the history of him, and his teams's, experience....
In the Fall of 2014 Dan finalized the purchase of his building and completed an full restoration of the facility to make it the most state-of-the art service facility for vintage race cars, performance street cars and exotics in the regional area. Here's a bit of the history of him, and his teams's, experience....
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Dan got his very first car when he was 13 years old. It was 1966 MGA he picked up for $150. Originally is was being 'fixed up' for his sister and he took over the project.
The racing bug also caught Dan at 13. He started racing motocross. One day his mother finally agreed to come and see him at the track. As the starting flag dropped the engine blew on his bike and the piston rod exploded through the block and went through his calf. This ended his motocross aspirations. The '66 MGA restoration continued through this period. Dan learned to drive the MGA while at his first job working on golf carts and navigating the cart paths, when no one was watching, at Chestnut Ridge Golf Course. After the full restoration of the MGA, he sold it to a priest for $3,000. |
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He used from the money from the MGA to buy his next car, a 1966 Alfa Romeo Guilia Veloce 1600. He restored the '67 Alfa 1600 and proceeded to promptly trade it in on a 1967 Alfa Romeo Duetto in 1969. His plan was that he was going to race cars! He was 16 years old.
In 1970 Dan became the first 16 year old to apply for his SCCA racing license and went to driving school in 1970. He mother once again came to see him race. Upon her arrival, as she was driving across the track between races, she followed Dan's wrecked Alfa on a trailer into the Paddock area in center track. It was at that point, Dan asked his mom not to come see his races any more. Dan graduated from High School in 1971. He went to California State but he still had the racing bug. He took his PHEAA grant money and invested it in race cars and paid it back through his winnings. In 1973 Dan transferred to the University of Pittsburgh. He began work on his mechanical engineering degree but very quickly started working with the Pitt Race Team. It was called the "The Pitt Crew," with Bob Fryer driving a 1969 Chevrolet Camaro, and became the best known non-factory car in the Trans-Am series during that period. |
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In 1975 Dan became the first employee of the Auto Palace. The iconic Pittsburgh landmark for exotic and racing cars from 1975 until 1984. The Auto Palace was owned by Elvidio and Mario Grande and was originally called the Auto House (currently the Party House) until it moved to Baum Boulevard to become the iconic Auto Palace. The building now hosts the "Scaife Auto Palace".
Although not known to many, when they moved into the Baum Blvd location, they actually did not know how many floors there where! The first three floors of building where flooded and the sump pumps ran for two months just to empty out the water. Later, Pittsburgh's famous landmark, Graffiti opened upstairs in the building. By 1980 Dan was the highest trained Alfa Romeo technician in North America. In 1981, Dan purchased the first Alfa Romeo GTV in black. He sold it to none other than Mario Andretti and bought then bought the second black Alfa Romeo GTV ever produced. |
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In 1985 Dan left the Auto Palace with Elvidio and went to Fifth Avenue Motorcars located at Fifth Avenue & Morewood.
Two years later, in 1987, Dan started AutoTech Performance on Saxonburg Blvd. It was that year that Stan Cleva started vintage racing the Ford GT40 LeMans second place winner from 1966. 1966 was the year that Ford became famous for the 1-2-3 finish. The car placed 2nd with drivers, Ken Miles & Denis Hulme right behind Bruce McLaren & Chris Amon's P1 GT40. Dan was partners with Stan Cleva Racing. he rebuilt the car to campaign it, it had an accident and Dan then rebuilt the GT40 a second time. Dan ran not only the iconic GT40, but also a 1971 Chevron B19 and Pro Atlantic for about 3 years and manages about Ran 7-8 race cars during this period. Check back for more. We're still writing this story... |
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Ken Miles was leading near the end of the 1966 24 Hours of Le Mans, with car #1 Ford GT40, when Ford management, desiring a publicity photo of the three Mk.IIs crossing the finish line together, ordered him to slow down to cross the line together with the second place car, driven by Bruce McLaren and Chris Amon, and the third place car. It is rumoured that Miles, bitter at this perceived slight by his employers, after his considerable commitment to the Ford racing programme, issued a form of protest by allowing Ford #2 car, driven by Bruce McLaren and Chris Amon, to cross the line first and be declared the winner. Miles was thus denied the unique achievement of winning Sebring, Daytona, and Le Mans in the same year.
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Dan Fowler Racing History
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