Vic Edelbrock Sr.
Edelbrock Equipment Co
EDELBROCK CORPORATION
TIMELINE
1913
Vic Edelbrock Sr.
is born in a small farming community near Wichita, Kansas.
1933
With his new brother-in-law, Vic opens his first repair shop on Wilshire
Boulevard in Beverly Hills.
1934
Vic moves into his own shop on the corner of Venice and Hoover in Los
Angeles. Bobby Meeks, who retired in 1993, started with Vic at this time
and became his loyal assistant.
1936
Vic Edelbrock,
Jr. is born.
1938
Vic Sr. buys his first project car, a 1932 Ford roadster, a vehicle that
would become a turning point in Edelbrock history. It was Vic Sr.'s entry into
the world of "hot rods" that inspired the design and manufacture of
the first Edelbrock manifold. Within two years, the ’32 would feature the
Edelbrock designed & manufactured “Slingshot” manifold, and consistently
won races at Muroc Dry Lake, hitting speeds of 112 mph. In modern terms, the
’32 Roadster would become Edelbrock’s first “project vehicle,” as Vic
would install test parts on the roadster to find out how well they would
perform.
The requests he received for
his twin carb Slingshot manifold were the driving force behind the opening of
his own performance parts business. Three weeks before Pearl Harbor and the
advent of World War II, Vic was clocked at the speed of 121.42 mph in his '32 at
Rosamond Dry Lake.
1941-45
During the war, Vic uses his machinist skills for the war effort. His
war-time experiences increased his perception of what he could build with the
right machining tools. At the end of the war, he purchased his first building to
open a machine shop and auto repair facility at 1200 North Highland in
Hollywood, California.
1945
Vic designs his
first aluminum racing heads for flathead Fords.
1946
The first catalog was printed in 1946 with the name "Edelbrock Power
and Speed Equipment" across the front cover.
1946
Vic buys
his first midget. One of the first Kurtis Kraft midgets, which the company still
owns, was purchased later that year. History was made when Vic's V8-60-equipped
midget broke the winning streak of the Offy-equipped midgets. With Roger Ward at
the wheel and nitro methane in the fuel, #27 beat the Offys in the first and
only V8-60 win at the famous Gilmore Stadium.
1949
Vic bought one of the
performance industry's first engine dynamometers, a 200-horsepower Clayton dyno.
1950
Vic moves into his first purpose-built shop on Jefferson Boulevard. It
was 5,000 sq. ft. and equipped with a small machine shop, repair bays, engine
dynamometer, a small stock room and office space. In this new facility, Vic
expands his business by designing more cylinder heads, intake manifolds and even
racing pistons for several different applications.
1952
The first single engine
streamliner to go over 200 mph was the Edelbrock-equipped Bachelor-Xydias SoCal
Special.
1952
Don Waite races "The Edelbrock Special," using an
Edelbrock 4-carb intake, Edelbrock heads and pistons. Using nitro methane, this
1927 Model-T hits 192 mph on the Bonneville Salt Flats.
1955
Vic Sr. begins dyno tests on the brand new small-block Chevrolet engine.
Several power-producing manifolds were the result, the first being the three-carb
intake manifold that was featured on the cover of Hot Rod magazine.
1958
Vic achieves an industry first by getting one horsepower-per-cubic-inch
from a 283 cid small-block Chevy with the new Cross Ram manifold. This
breakthrough led Edelbrock to develop manifolds for Pontiac and Chrysler engines
as well.
1962
At the early age of 49,
cancer takes the life of Vic Edelbrock Sr. Vic Jr. and a group of loyal
employees take the reins of the Edelbrock Equipment Company, with Vic Jr.
becoming Chairman, President and Chief Executive Officer.
1964
Bob Joehnck saw an opportunity to develop an intake for a
small-block Chevy. The C-4B manifold becomes another turning point for the
Edelbrock Equipment Company.
1967
Edelbrock moves its
operations to El Segundo, California.
1971-74
Vic, Jr. serves as President of the Specialty Equipment Marketing
Association (SEMA)
to educate the public and legislators to the benefits of a strong and legal
performance parts industry.
1974
Edelbrock addresses the needs of its customers, introducing the
fuel-efficient Streetmaster manifold series during the world’s gas crisis.
1977
Vic Edelbrock, Sr. is
posthumously inducted into the SEMA Hall of Fame.
1980
Edelbrock builds a continuous
loop transfer machine to completely finish the PN 2101 manifold, the first
complete automated machine operation at the company.
1980s
Edelbrock expands its product line to include camshaft kits, valve train
parts, exhaust systems and more, developing the “Total Performance Package”
line.
1982
Vic Edelbrock, Jr. is named
“Person of the Year” by the Performance Warehouse Association.
1984
The Edelbrock Corporation is
recognized as “Manufacturer of the Year” by the Performance Warehouse
Association.
1987
Edelbrock moves to its present location in Torrance, California.
1987
Vic Edelbrock, Jr. is named
“Person of the Year” for the second time by the Performance Warehouse
Association.
1988
Edelbrock’s product line
expansion continues with the sale of its first carburetor.
1989
Vic Edelbrock, Jr. is
inducted into the SEMA Hall of Fame.
1989
The Edelbrock Corporation is
recognized as “Manufacturer of the Year” by the Performance Warehouse
Association.
1990
For the second straight year,
the Edelbrock Corporation is recognized as “Manufacturer of the Year” by the
Performance Warehouse Association. It is the third time the company has
been honored by the PWA.
1990
Edelbrock builds its own sand-cast aluminum foundry in San Jacinto,
California.
1990
John Towle
of Edelbrock is named “Person of the Year” by the Performance Warehouse
Association.
1990
Edelbrock Corporation further diversifies its product line with aluminum
cylinder heads. The 1990s will see aluminum water pumps, fuel-injected
manifolds, exhaust systems, and aftermarket performance parts for motorcycles
added to the Edelbrock list of performance products.
1993
Camee Edelbrock,
Vice-president of Advertising and Marketing, becomes the first person to be
honored as SEMA’s “Young Executive of the Year.”
1994
Edelbrock is publicly traded
on the NASDAQ stock exchange for the first time (symbol: EDEL)
1994
Vic Edelbrock, Sr. is inducted into the International Drag Racing Hall of
Fame in Ocala, Florida.
1995
Edelbrock completes construction of a 37,000 square foot building in
Torrance to house its exhaust products division, as well as an additional 15,000
square foot facility at the Foundry in San Jacinto.
1995
Edelbrock embraces the Internet, launching its Web site at http://www.edelbrock.com.
1997
Edelbrock completes
construction of its 45,000 square foot shock absorber facility in Torrance.
1997
Edelbrock builds two facilities adjacent to the Edelbrock Foundry in San
Jacinto, California. One of the new facilities houses the company’s motorcycle
carburetor division.
1998
Edelbrock begins production on a new line of performance aftermarket
shock absorbers using the RICOR inertia active system.
1999
Edelbrock moves its warehouse into a new, 65,950 square-foot Distribution
Center in Torrance. All shipping and receiving operations are relocated to
provide room for the expansion of the cylinder head, water pump and manifold
manufacturing area at the main facility.
1999
Vic’s Garage opens.
Located in the Distribution Center and housing the Company’s collection of
street rods and classic cars, plus an extensive collection of historic photos
and archives.
1999
Edelbrock is named one of Forbes magazine’s “200 Best Small
Companies.”
1999
Jeff Thompson,
Edelbrock’s Executive Vice-President/General Manager and Chief Operating
Officer, is honored as SEMA’s “Person of the Year.”
2000
Edelbrock launches JG/Edelbrock,
manufacturing and marketing internal engine, exhaust and suspension components
to the import/compact performance aftermarket.
2000
For the second straight year, Forbes magazine honors Edelbrock as
one of its “200 Best Small Companies.”
2001
Russell
Performance Products joins the Edelbrock family.
2001
Rich Barsamian,
Edelbrock’s National Sales Manager, is recognized as “Young Executive of the
Year” by SEMA.
OVER
64 YEARS...
“Proven Performance” is
the philosophy that began with Vic Sr. in 1938 and it continues today. Those
same high standards of performance and quality are met with every Edelbrock
part, all made in the U.S.A. Vic Sr. would be proud of what has grown out of his
small garage in Los Angeles.
First
Dyno at Edelbrock Equipment testing Ford Flathead
A Stack of New Edelbrock Flatheads
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