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Meet Howard Tanner of Redline Motorsports in Pompano Beach

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Today we’d like to introduce you to Howard Tanner.

Howard, can you briefly walk us through your story – how you started and how you got to where you are today.
I’m originally from New York where the insanity started – a car nut since 15 and a maniac when they gave me a driver’s license. I started with ’67 Camaros, a ’70 Nova, and various other old-school muscle cars… building and modifying them. When I was 8-10 years old, my grandfather had exposed me to electronics as his background was engineering… my grandfather was good friends with Zora Arkus-Duntov in which, I had the pleasure of meeting a few times. Combining a background in electronics, a love of modifying muscle cars and the influence of a legendary Corvette Chief Engineer – that is the recipe.

In the mid-to-early ’80s, I began messing with Cross-Fire and Tuned Port Injection, modifying cars out of my mother’s garage, where Redline Motorsports was born. After completing Hudson Valley Community College’s automotive program, I longed to work on the Corvette engineering team. However, I thought it’s best to get my hands dirty at a dealership first. Nearly two years later, I was involved in a bad car accident. The injuries weren’t life threatening, but in the process of evaluation it was discovered that I had cancer. And, here’s where the world divided.

After a good year of recovery, I had put the whole car experience aside. I had stumbled into the commercial glass industry. After about a year, I realized that I was very strong at management and understood the dollars and cents as well as the construction side. The company was not interested in growing and the ‘lunatic to succeed’ was coming out. I left that company and started my own business. In 1994, the itch was getting very strong to get back in my passion – cars. Redline Motorsports was starting to wake up from its hibernation. Both companies were running at the same time, although the glass company was the primary operation. Nineteen years later, after building a multi-million dollar operation with over 40 people employed, I had enough of that and living in New York. I was at a point in my life to jump and I did – 1,500 miles to south Florida.
As Redline Motorsports evolved from a side operation to my full-time gig, so, too, did my beloved 2006 Z06 that I actually had a hand in building at the Bowling Green plant thanks to one of my connections. They actually allowed me to install the seats and exhaust system! I was also the first to fire up the LS7 for the first time. No one involved, no one would realize that the magnificent 427, leather seats and exhaust would all be shelved, sold, or otherwise discarded in my quest for the ultimate street car. The Z06 served as a mule for learning the new E38 ECM, as I refined my craft as an engine calibrator. No matter how radical the Z06 became, the E38 ECM remained intact.

After the move to Pompano Beach, Florida, I was decided that the stock T-56 would have to go. The car sat in the corner of the shop while we jump-started the new operation. Occasionally, we would take it to the track, which was always a disappointment with that kind of power and a stick. As Redline had done on many customer cars, I made the jump to an RPM Transmissions 4L80E swap. With no other changes, the Z06 was running 8.8 at 164 mph with Mickey Thompson drag radials mounted on 18-inch wheels. The stock block and turbos were beyond their capacity, which gave way to the next iteration that proved capable of 8.40 at 171 mph. That’s when my true potential came into view and I set sights on 7-second timeslips – still street legal with a full interior, A/C, and all the amenities.

Has it been a smooth road?
Redline was formally in NY prior to moving to South FL. Its hard enough growing a brand its another to move it, 1200 miles away and regrow it. However, we have been in the industry for a while and slow and steady wins the war. We have now been here for almost 6 years now and our strength have shown our resilience to move ahead.

So let’s switch gears a bit and go into the Redline Motorsports story. Tell us more about the business.
The company specializes in building and modifying late model GM performance cars such as Corvettes, Camaros and Cadillac CTSv’s. We make fast cars fast! The company is a nationally recognized facility and has based in roots in South FL. Internally the company is full integration. We build all our engines inhouse, fabricate, all forms of detailed electronic work and most notably engine calibration. Fortunately, the owner, Howard Tanner, is very well known in the industry for the calibration component. This has brought in customers from around the country who ship there cars in for packages.

The company also has a presence in Dubai and in which we ship our engine packages as well as do conversions on cars that also get shipped over seas.

The company’s overall experience and reputation has been its greatest asset in whats sets us apart.

How do you think the industry will change over the next decade?
Our company has always been on the cutting edge. For this, we are always obtaining new models as they are released. We are always trying to look beyond tomorrow. The future of our industry is leading into more compact engines with more technology. For this, we are preparing ourselves in what is ahead.

Fortunately, because of the years of experience our connections in the industry have also grown and has allowed us access to these technologies early.

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