Dan McGloughlin / AIR died today

[TRE Cup]

Details not known yet, but his family found him at the side of the house, where he had been doing some work. Foul play is NOT in the picture !

I first met Dan on a cruise night on Van Nuys Bl back in the early 70's. I was totally blown away at the site of a dark blue Lola T 70 coupe, sitting in a filling station with a small crowd around it. The muscle car cruisers had no idea that a hungry shark was lurking amongst the schools of minnows.
Dan was kind enough to talk all about the car, how he had legalized it for street use, his custom touches, and an invite to visit his shop, American International Racing (AIR).
What's a car guy to do? Every few days after school or work, I would drop in his Burbank Bl location where one would see the "breadvan" Ferrari 250 GT (Yes, THAT one!) , as well as tastefully customized Camaros and Corvettes.
Somewhere along the line , Dan discovered Porsches and the die was cast. People were hungry for the RSR look and Dan delivered. Prototype parts were styled and molds made. People brought their Porsches in for body conversions, updates, RSR look.
Business boomed and his fame spread: Whittington Brothers, Jim Busby Racing, J David, Meister / Andial Racing, Otis Chandler, etc etc. The cars visited his shop on their west coast IMSA tours. Dan did work for other concerns too, like the production version of the Mitcom 914 Chalon kit.
He put the final restoration touches on a 73 RSR that ended up in the Matsuda Collection, repainted the McQueen #20 "Le Mans" film car (when "Oats" owned it), etc etc etc.
Truly a prolific part of Porsche racing and street. His influence was huge.

He will be missed

[ttweed]

Sad news. RIP, Dan.

TT

[Chuck Miller]

Sad news indeed…….

I believe Dan was 71

Dan was a very talented, artistic, funny, and eccentric guy………
He did almost every Porsche body modification for track and street FIRST
And he owned one or two of almost every cool car there was… Porsches, Ferraris, Corvettes, Hot Rods... you name it.

All the teams used him… Vasek, Woods, and most all of IMSA.

He was a collector of cool stuff … especially of 1957 (I believe the year he finished High School.)

He put up a prefab period deco gas station INSIDE his shop!!!!!! With a ’57 Chevy pick-up, and ’57 Vette standing by…. Of course.


In ’89 I first heard the roomer that Dan applied the Carrera flares on my ’73 in ’73 so I paid him a visit.
We walked out to his parking lot…“Yeah I remember this car… man, I did SO many back then… but this one was REAL early and it was this interesting blue’”
Feeling under the fenders “Yep, these are when I still lapped’m, I did’m both ways, but I lapped the early ones.”
Years later I visited again in another newer shop of his, he said “Hey, I think I have a couple of pictures of your car… look in that old chest of drawers” The top drawer was full of old shop pics of projects and his own cars… I looked through it all. I finally found a pic of my car in the background of a shot he took of some of his work on one of the old Bozzani 914-6 GT’s……. He said, “Yeah, that was taken just before I did the job in late ‘73”

…….. The fenders are still on the car today.

…………. And so it goes

Rock on Dan

[Mr9146]

I know a guy who used to do some work with Dan in the 70s and he relayed a great story to me a few years back.

I believe the story goes that AIR wanted to test the airflow on some 935 bodywork they were working on so Dan and company put some paint on a few areas of the bodywork and went for a ride on the 5 and 170 freeways. After a few 140+mph runs they went back to the shop to see what the paint runs told them and the bodywork was modified accordingly.

Ahh, the good ol' days...

[RSupdate]

wow....very sad news indeed. An Icon of airflow in the golden years of the 935.... RIP Dan.

[johndglynn]

That is sad news. RIP Dan, lost many a happy hour browsing the online catalogues!

Hope he gets to play with the car pool in the next life

[Eminence Gris]

Wow. A fixture of the Porsche scene. Really enjoyed my visits with Dan. He was the rare combination of dreamer and do-er.

[Vintage Racer]

In ’89 I first heard the roomer that Dan applied the Carrera flares on my ’73 in ’73 so I paid him a visit.
We walked out to his parking lot…“Yeah I remember this car… man, I did SO many back then… but this one was REAL early and it was this interesting blue’”
Feeling under the fenders “Yep, these are when I still lapped’m, I did’m both ways, but I lapped the early ones.”

Great story Chuck. The picture is very cool.

I'm sorry that I never meet Dan. RIP.

[strlinmoss]

I'm just a little late to this news and I'm devastated. Dan was a person you never forget. I was putting together a Mini Cooper and a friend said "just go see Dan, He knows all about those things"........ . I was working at Lockheed in Burbank,this is back about 1982. My oldest daughter and Dan's was born in the same month, and they were just a few weeks old, so we talked about kids for the longest. So We start talking about Mini's and how not to let them get stolen.............then Dan Tell's me a story about why he talks to everyone the same, does not pre-judge people. "It was the summer that I turned 16 I had painted cars all summer and made enough money to by a new Corvette". he went to the dealer with Cash in his pocket I think about 10grand (16 year old pocket) and told the salesman he wanted to but the corvette off the show room floor. the salesman told Dan to get the hell out of there, because he didn't have enough money.the salesman laughed and closed the door on him.This was in Northern California, So Dan went to another Chevrolet dealer in the next town and bought a new Corvette. Dan tells me. "I came back to the first dealer with my new corvette and burned rubber up and down the block in front of the dealer for about 15 mins!" "After that I told my self I will treat everyone the same until they prove other wise...............The last Time I saw Dan was in his Sun Valleys shop, with the complete 50's gas station inside! He had told me he was a Prop master for the movies now and was buying and selling Muscle cars. while I was there he had this fully restored '69 Z28 In his typical deadpan style.."I was gonna buy the thing, but my DMV people tell me its hot! I gotta call this guy and have him get this thing out of here"........Yes, if anyone need to write a book it was Dan.......I though there was time..............RIP Danny.