Profile Racing’s Legacy: Week Four, 1971.

1971 was an interesting year for the young Profile Racing. It was gaining a name for itself with its steering gears. Barely 3 years old, it then started the fabrication of race car rail chassis. Shown in the photo below is the first Northeast Modified racer built by Profile. It was a prototype that included a new frame design.

Race sanctioning rules stated the NE Modified chassis had to be constructed (or built) from a consumer automobile. The choice of racers was the American Motors Gremlin (https://ccco.s3.amazonaws.com/kb_photos/393/3088_1970_Gremlin_Folder-01_low_res.jpg).

Unfortunately winter road salt was not kind to these chassis. Profile Racing decided to beef up the fame with 2×4 rectangle steel beams. The added steel was to fortify the chassis: in case of a wreck, the roll cage would not punch through the old, thin, salt-rusted tubing that was being used.

This newly prototyped car was taken to all the races to show off and meetings were held with the sanctioning organizations to explain how drivers were at risk of injury and even death if frame designs weren’t changed.

We’ll tell you how Profile’s NE Modified rail design changed the sport of racing in the Northeast in an upcoming installment.