American Turbocar Pioneering the Tuner Car

In late 1983 the American Turbocar Corporation (a sub-brand of Banks) was born. The venture was a direct result of GM’s production of the Camaro and Firebird “F” bodies. Gale Banks’ winning history of land and sea speed and endurance records earned him a reputation for producing only the highest quality products. Indeed, it only made sense to bring it all back to his hot rod roots with these two GM beasts.

The goal of American Turbocar was to make cars for a small percentage of car elitists. They wanted to offer the kind of performance offered back in the days when Carroll Shelby was making Cobras. Because of the immense power outputs of the cars, they require competent owners with experience.

Banks’ American Turbocar Corp. started the Turbo Tuner craze and landed on the cover of Car & Driver. The cover showcased the 700-horsepower Banks twin-turbo GT Pontiac Trans Am. Additionally, the car was tested and proven by Car & Driver, the article was a rave review. For the few who had the experience, the ability, and the where-with-all, ATC offered a line of tuner cars that were considered “world-class” by any standard.

*Note: prices in the above chart are in the thousands, not millions