Pro Motorsports
What do P.J. Tucker, DeMar DeRozan, Bubba Watson, Brian Wilson, Blake Griffin and Jonny Gomes all have in common? It might not be what you think. When these professional athletes want to customize their ride or completely build the car of their dreams, they do what countless other pros have done – they turn to Pro Motorsports.
Pro Motorsports specializes in automotive accessories, wheel and tire packages, performance parts and complete automotive conversions. Despite its continued growth in the exotic/luxury car market and aftermarket parts, wheels, and audio/video sectors, its primary business remains building custom vehicles for professional athletes, top executives, businesses, and prototypes for manufacturers. Past and current projects include everything from complete frame-off restorations to inspired customizations.
Jim Lewis, owner of Pro Motorsports in Scottsdale, Arizona, has been a longstanding leader in the high-class auto and truck world. Pro Motorsports has built custom vehicles for numerous professional athletes over the company’s two-decade history. Pro Motorsports’ wheeled creations are regularly featured at major auto shows, thanks to partnerships that extend deep into the industry. Jim told HA “I had started the business in a small shop in Springfield, Missouri, in 1997. One of the Kansas City Chiefs players admired my car and asked who did the custom work. When I told him, he asked if I could do one for him. After that, we had clients from the Chiefs and the Royals coming to us for everything automotive and the word spread.”
The variety of work they do is as expansive as the athletes they work with, from the ultimate in luxury with a Rolls-Royce Phantom Coupe for P.J. Tucker of the Phoenix Suns, to American muscle cars, to a facelift and updating for a 1939 Cadillac with CTS-V power for pro golfer Bubba Watson.
The Rolls was customized to sit on custom built, luxury forged wheels with an exterior wrap of satin white. A Rockford Fosgate sound system completed the project. Toronto Raptors guard DeMar DeRozan brought his Mercedes-Benz G63 to PM for a full blackout package including tint. The matte black exterior sets the perfect stage for custom 24” wheels. iPad holders were mounted inside. Miami Marlins pitcher Mat Latos had his own ideas about what his new Audi S8 should look like. He took his ideas to the team at PM where a custom grille in matte and gloss was built. All exterior chrome was blacked out and a custom exhaust was installed. Currently in the shop sits a 1964 Impala SS, customized for Dante Cunningham. This powerhouse features a Chevrolet Performance Ram Jet 502. Designed exclusively for pre-1976 models, it delivers 502 hp at 5,100 rpm and has 565 ft./lbs. of torque at 3,200 rpm. It has air-ride technology suspension and disk brakes, all wrapped in a stealth black.
Sacramento Kings’ Rudy Gay knew just what he wanted when he stepped into the PM shop. He wanted something nobody else had seen. It had to be Uconn blue (University of Connecticut) with the Husky mascot stitched into the interior. With the addition of custom rims and exhaust system, custom sound system and carrying the Rudy Gay logo, PM took a 2013 Dodge Challenger SRT8 and turned it into Rudy’s Uconn ride – so much so that teammates tried to buy it.
Pro Motorsports’ stunning new 8,000 sq. ft. showroom and shop in Scottsdale features a floor painted to replicate an NBA court. All that new space allows for a limited group of cars for sale to be displayed. “Our clients come back to us,” Lewis says. “Sometimes it’s for an additional build or new custom job, and sometimes it’s to have us sell one of the cars we’ve done for them in the past.” The current sales inventory includes a unique Ferrari 360 Spider, originally customized for retired baseball pro, David Segui. This prancing horse features a satin pearl exterior with black leather interior, accented with white topstitching on the seats, door panels and dash. You’ll also find Chris Paul’s Mercedes-Benz G550, with 24” wheels and Pirelli tires. According to Lewis, sale inventory fluctuates constantly and can be between 10 and 30 vehicles, ranging in price from $75K to six figures.
With a marketing program designed to focus on the pro-sports opportunities in the Phoenix area, Pro Motorsports hosted an invitation-only event during the Super Bowl weekend that was attended by 500 people, including more than 120 professional athletes. PM will hold a similar meet and greet event during the pro baseball Spring training session.
With six locations nationwide (Springfield, MO, Edmond, OK, Centennial, CO, Lenexa, KS, Henderson, NV and Scottsdale), Lewis tells us there is still room for growth, and a location on the East Coast is being scouted. He says, “I’m a small business owner. I’m always looking for an opportunity to grow, and going where there is a huge potential market makes sense.”
According to the National Collegiate Athletic Associ-ation, less than one percent of college athletes will ever make it to the pros, and even after being drafted, the odds of becoming a superstar aren’t that good. Fortunately, you don’t need to be in that one percent to get the drive or your dreams from PM. It doesn’t always take a lot of money to turn a car into someone’s dream vehicle.
And at PM, we’re happy to sell a radar or a pair of Oakley shades. You can learn more about Pro Motorsports and view the dazzling gallery at www.promotorsports.com. The new Scottsdale facility is located at 7343 East Adobe, Suite 145 and you can call for more information at (602) 300-8720.