From the vault: Absolutely Protofabulous

On paper, quite the script: Legendary Corvette Racing crew chief restores a special 1987 Protofab Corvette, debuts it at the Rolex Monterey Motorsports Reunion, where 70 years of Corvette is being celebrated, and iconic Corvette driver wheels it to victory. Sounds like destiny, right?

This story had simple roots. About a decade ago, Wally Owens and his son, Kevin, decided to search for the Mustang that Wally raced in early 1990s Trans Am.

"We weren’t even that serious," says Kevin. "We just said, ‘Let’s go see if we can find it.’"

The lack of documented history about most cars from that period meant this would not be an easy endeavor, so the father-and-son duo enlisted the help of Brooks Thomas, who specializes in locating old racecars. In 2020, the phone rang with Thomas saying that he’d found a pair of 1987 IMSA GTO-spec Protofab Corvettes in Costa Rica and he was confident they were legitimate. (Pause here, because the story of investigating, purchasing and shipping the cars – all during a pandemic, when travel was impossible – is a tale unto itself. It’s compelling, fun, but outside the scope of this story. Maybe another time…)

The Owens ended up with the cars stateside, fairly confident one of them was the turbo V6 chassis famous for making a ton of power and speed… and blowing up often. They dug in and started acquiring parts. Top of their wish list was a reliable turbo V6.

The V6’s intricate turbo manifold on the restored Protofab Corvette is a work of art. Wally Owens

Enter Le Mans and IMSA championship winning crew chief Dan Binks, who retired from Corvette Racing in 2020, but had not taken his foot off the gas.

"I sort of hoarded a bunch of those engines over the years and somebody somewhere gave out my phone number,’" recalls Binks who, when the Owens reached him, agreed to part with a couple of engines. "We talked about the car, and then I said I’d be interested in doing the restoration, too."

The two parties agreed to meet up at Road America in the fall of 2020, and Binks had come prepared.

"He had a photo album with detailed pictures of the engine and testing in 1988," Kevin recalls. Those photos answered several outstanding questions and would serve as blueprints for bringing the car back to life.

"Frank Parker, the wiring guy for Protofab, took a bunch of pictures back then and gave me his photo album," says Binks with a note of sadness. Parker passed away during the course of the restoration and did not get to see the final results of his help.

It was clear to Wally and Kevin that Binks was the right person for the job. His connections and experience were one thing, but his preparation, attention to detail and never-give-up attitude took things to another level. Given the green light, Binks stripped the chassis down and started building it back up – and straight away he discovered there were some significant challenges.

"Once the car went to Central America, stuff got spread all over the place," Binks says. "Trying to find all the original parts was really hard." Luckily, he knew some people, including Gary Pratt of Pratt Miller, who were part of the Protofab team back in 1987.

Binks recalls: "Gary had the original radiator and intercooler in his barn. It helped me get everything in the right place and we actually used the intercooler. David King was the crew chief back then and he came over two different times to look at it. ‘This goes here or there…’ and stuff like that."

No bolt unturned in this exquisite restoration. Wally Owens

Inevitably with such projects, among the biggest challenges was time, with Binks admitting, "I spread myself way too thin."

Originally committing to 18 months, the project was delayed again and again with Binks’ plate already full of midget racing, vintage racing and engine building.

But after two-and-a-half years, the restored racecar was finally nearing its completion. That’s when a friend reached out, relaying the news that 70 years of Corvette would be celebrated at the 2023 Rolex Monterey Motorsports Reunion. As Binks puts it, "That was good. It forced me to get it done."

The news that friend and former Corvette Racing star Ron Fellows would be the grand marshal gave Binks another idea. He phoned the GT ace to ask if he would be interested in racing the car at WeatherTech Raceway Laguna Seca and Fellows jumped at the chance. That met with approval from the Owens side, and the plan paid off. The car ran flawlessly in the RMMR and won both Group 4 races.

"Sometimes I believe in fate, and that one was pretty cool how it all came about," Binks notes. "It’s an obsession, but I love making cool stuff. The second run, when that thing hauled ass, I was really proud and excited.

"That’s why I do this."

Back in the day… The Protofab Corvettes of Greg Pickett and Wally Dallenbach Jr. mix it with a loaded IMSA GTO field of Roush Mustangs, AAR Toyota Celica Turbos and assorted GM muscle at 1987’s Del Mar finale. William Murenbeeld/Getty Images

FELLOWS STEPS BACK IN TIME

Years in the making, the restored 1987 Protofab Corvette was ready to make its debut at the start of the 2023 Rolex Monterey Motorsports Reunion. Thanks to timing, and perhaps a little fate, Corvette Racing legend Ron Fellows was behind the wheel.

"It reminded me of my Trans Am days, but with quite a bit more power…and we didn’t even crank it [boost] up," says Fellows. From the moment the ‘Vette fired up for the first time, all went smoothly, which Fellows credits to Dan Binks’s typically methodical approach to car preparation, vintage and modern.

"When you start looking at the details, they look better than it probably was originally," notes Fellows. "Dan is just meticulous. That’s why he was so successful as a crew chief. That attention to detail is what’s required to win – certainly for us in the Corvette Racing days."

Restorer Dan Binks and Ron Fellows confer before Fellows takes the Protofab Corvette out for a Monterey Reunion run. Nick Lish

Fellows quickly felt dialed in to the car and began logging some quick laps.

"I only had 25 minutes a day in the car, but by Saturday I was feeling pretty comfortable with it," he says. "I think I did a 1m27s on Saturday morning. [Chris] Dyson holds the TA1 lap record at 1m25s, so we were kind of looking at that.

"I wanna drive it again," he adds. "A big thank you from me to Dan and Wally [Owens, car owner] for letting a 65-year-old guy feel like he was 35 again!"