In case you’ve been living under a rock for the last thirty years, the names R.J. Gottlieb and Big Red may not mean much to you. But if you weren’t, then you would know that those are two legends of the drag racing, open road racing and pro-touring world. RJ is the creator, Big Red is the creation. Inseparable since the ’80s, these two have been making a name for themselves all over the world.
Back in the mid 1980s, R.J. owned a ’69 Camaro Z/28, the very same car featured in the video. At only the age of 19, he achieved national notoriety in drag-, pro-touring and open road racing events such as the La Carrera Classica and the Silver State Classic Challenge earning him the title of, “The Fastest Teenager in the World” in 1989.
Being relatively fresh out of high school and interested in building his career, in 1992 he pursued higher education and set his efforts of road- and drag racing aside for over a decade – selling off all of his race cars, except for his coveted ’69 Camaro. Fast forward to 2003, and R.J. has been hitting the tracks and just about every open road challenge he can. Now that the 5th-gen is about to be replaced, he has recently acquired a 2015 Z/28 to build into a modern interpretation of the car that has molded his racing career into what it is today.
One of the crucial components that makes both of his Camaros winners, are the set of Forgeline wheels the cars ride on. Made from a forged design, they offer the safety, reliability and the adaptability to change offsets and backspacing, as well as the ability to be replaced under warranty if they have come into contact of a barrier. When you’re running over 200 mph in the Silver State Classic, a set of high-quality, American-made forged wheels is good insurance to have.
Recently, the Big Red Team have visited our friends at Forgeline to shoot a video, highlighting the production of the wheels that will be used on Big Red G5. So take a couple of minutes to watch the video above, and get a sneak peek of what the finished product will look like!
Rick Seitz is the owner and founder of GMEFI Magazine, and has a true love and passion for all vehicles. When he isn’t tuning, testing, or competing with the brand’s current crop of project vehicles, he’s busy tinkering and planning the next modifications for his own cars.
