Edelbrock, LLC is an automotive aftermarket and motorcycle spare parts manufacturer based in Torrance, California. The company has five locations, including four in Torrance: its headquarters, distribution centers and museums, Russell division (which is also a shock manufacturing center), and a disposal plant. The foundry is in San Jacinto, California.
Vic Edelbrock founded this company in 1938. When his desire to improve the performance of the Ford Roadster in 1932 took him to design a new feed manifold, his friends and fellow drivers immediately wanted it as well. This transformed his repair shop into a manufacturing company, making one-of-a-kind equipment for cars. In many ways, Vic Edelbrock helped create the automotive aftermarket components industry.
Currently, Edelbrock produces more than 8,000 automotive parts for racers and fans, focusing on improving performance. Companies rely on online retailers and catalogs, so do not offer direct sales for most of their catalogs.
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Vic Edelbrock
Vic Edelbrock Sr. was born in the small farming community of Eudora, Kansas in 1913. After the family grocery store was burned in 1927, he left school at the age of 14 to help support the family by transporting Model T Ford from Wichita to many remote farms in the area. Frequent quitting to replace the shaking part of the dirt road in the area makes him an expert in impromptu improvement work. Soon after, he found a job in the local workshop, working as a car mechanic.
When the Great Depression struck in 1931, Edelbrock went to California to live with his brother, Carl. Initially, he moved with his brother and took a job as a car mechanic. To earn extra money to open his own shop, Edelbrock took a night job in downtown Los Angeles car park in a large apartment complex. It was a chance encounter at this parking lot where she met 19-year-old Irish lady Katherine (Katie) Collins, who worked as a day attendant. Despite the fact that Katie was involved, Edelbrock convinced her to give her a chance and not marry her fiancee. They married in June 1933, just eight weeks after the meeting.
At the age of 22, Edelbrock worked with his new brother-in-law to open his first car repair shop on Wilshire Boulevard in Beverly Hills. The business grew and in 1934 Edelbrock moved into his own shop on the corner of Venice Blvd and Hoover in Los Angeles. Business continues to grow rapidly and he moved his shop three more times in the 1930s. In 1936, Katie Edelbrock gave birth to Vic, Jr., the sole child of the couple.
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Slingshot
In 1938 Vic Edelbrock bought his first project car, the Ford Roadster 1932. In his desire to improve performance, he joined Tommy Thickstun to design a new intake manifold for flathead roadster engines. Unhappy with the manifold's performance, Edelbrock designed himself, nicknamed The Slingshot . Most importantly, the new manifold allows two Stromberg 97 carburetors to be used, removing barriers that limit the horsepower to the engine. The Manifold has been tested for quality in the dry lakes of Rosamond (currently occupied by Edwards Air Force Base), which is a test site for Edelbrock and many other car clubs and racing associations. After removing the fenders and hubcaps, on 16 November 1941, Edelbrock drove the car in 7.41 seconds at a speed of 121.45 mph (195.45 km/h), achieving a national speed record in a quarter mile fly. Initially, he did not intend to produce additional manifolds, but his extraordinary response after his phenomenal speed in 1932 Ford encouraged Edelbrock to make more. This is the first product that it sells commercially and marks the start of the company as it is known today. Edelbrock eventually produced 100 manifolds of Slingshot .
Initial years
During World War II, Edelbrock's machinist skills were put into welding work on Todd Shipyards in Long Beach's handmade plane. Due to the car racing ban by the Office of Defense Transportation, there were no races during the war, but Edelbrock secretly designed and developed new product lines. After the war, he produced an aluminum racing cylinder head, in addition to the manifold, which quickly made it stand out among hot rodding enthusiasts. Parts to improve engine performance are not available, so riders build it themselves. Soon Edelbrock finds himself building the first piece for his friends and then for the customer.
To deal with the large number of letters it received, in 1946 Edelbrock produced the company's first catalog, Edelbrock Power and Speed ​​Equipment, with the help of Pete Petersen. This accelerated the transformation of the Edelbrock company from the repair workshop into a performance component manufacturer. Then, in 1947, Edelbrock produced the first cylinder head for the Ford flathead.
One of the first companies to use a machine dynamometer, Edelbrock moved to a 5,000 square foot "built" store in 1949 to develop more manifolds, cylinder heads and racing pistons. In the early 1950s, he continued to dominate dry lakes and expanded his racing into the Bonneville Speedway.
Racing
After the war, the California Roadster Association (CRA) was set up to run an automatic race with a roadster racing on an oval track and try to note the speed of the ground on dry dry-salt lakes. After World War II, the sanctions body began approving the sprint car race. In 1946, Edelbrock decided to expand his involvement into a midget car race, buying a car made by Frank Kurtis. In addition to auto racing, he wanted a test bench for the racing product he was developing. Edelbrock's team toured the dust lane racing circuit in Southern California with flathead teacher Bobby Meeks tuning the car. Many famous riders, including two Indianapolis 500 winners, are on the Edelbrock team, including Walt Faulkner, Perry Grimm, Cal Niday, Danny Oakes, Harry Stockman, Bill Vukovich, Rodger Ward and Bill Zaring.
The big claim to fame for Edelbrock is to beat all the powerful Offenhauser midget cars that have dominated the midget race for several years; This achievement is remarkable because Offenhausers have significant power advantages over all other motors. Using his Kurtis Kraft V8-60 "shaker" miscellaneous car with a 20% nitromethane secret blend (camouflaged with the smell of orange oil), Rodger Ward made history on August 10, 1950, when his Edelbrock-27 car broke off a succession of midget cars "Offy" at Gilmore Stadium, a track that comes from midget car racing. This is the only V8-60 that ever beat Offys in the 386-Race Gilmore history. The same car ran at the Orange Show Stadium in San Bernardino the following night, again beating the Offenhauser car. This achievement has never been duplicated in the history of dwarf racing. Edelbrock was not the only racer in the experimental period with nitromethane; fellow racers Joaquin Arnett and Tony Capanna have tried it on their hot rods, too. Edelbrock, however, is generally regarded as the one who collects everything and makes it successful.
Turning point
Until 1955, Edelbrock only made components for Ford, Mercury, and Lincoln. Some things affect the company (as well as the development of the hot rod market) over the development of Chevrolet Small-Block engines (also known as Gen I) in 1955. Chevrolet sent three Gen I engines to Edelbrock for experimentation. He used one machine to test the dynamometer and the other to test multi-carbide manifolds for magazine articles. He set up a third engine for shipbuilder Henry Lauterback, who quickly set two world records in Miami, Florida.
In 1958, Edelbrock ran an industry first by designing and achieving one horsepower-per-cubic-inch of 283 small-cid-block Chevy with his new Cross Ram Manifold. This breakthrough made him start producing manifolds for Pontiac and Chrysler engines.
Another important turning point in company history was the 1964 decision to build a small-block Chevy intake manifold for a 4-barrel carburetor. The C-4B manifold, developed with the help of Bob Joehnck, opens the door to a new line of performance products. While competing with factories is a risky proposition, it turns out to be profitable, as it allows companies to expand into new markets.
Growth
In 1962, cancer claimed the life of Victor Edelbrock, Sr. at the age of 49 years. At that time, the company consisted of ten employees and annual sales was $ 450,000. Edelbrock was replaced by his only son, the 26-year-old Vic Edelbrock, Jr. Vic Jr., who graduated in 1958 with a degree in business from USC, became President and Chief Executive Officer, a position he held until 2010.
The company joined SEMA (Special Equipment Marketing Association) as a charter member in the 1960s, with Vic Edelbrock, Jr. serving as president from 1971 to 1974. Edelbrock has been elected in a very important time in the history of SEMA; Congress enacted the Clean Air Act in 1971 and established the Environmental Protection Agency, which targets air pollution caused by internal combustion engines.
When gas prices soared in the 1970s, Edelbrock produced an intake manifold line that featured increased mileage, as well as performance.
In 1987, Edelbrock moved his facility to its current location in Torrance, California, where it remains today. The five-building corporate facility occupies over 400,000 square feet (37,000 m 2 ). In 1990, Edelbrock built a 73,000 square foot aluminum cast-iron foundry in San Jacinto, which employs 75 to 100 workers, and gives the company the ability to increase production according to market demand.
In 1994, Edelbrock became a public company, selling shares on the NASDAQ stock exchange. It originally earned $ 21 million, which is used primarily for the construction of a new exhaust division in Torrance near its main facility.
In 2000, Russell Performance Plumbing, a company that produces fittings and hoses, was acquired by Edelbrock. The company, which has been based in Florida, was relocated to Torrance in 2001.
As of June 30, 2004, the company employs 722 people, and achieved revenues of $ 125.98 million USD. Since the company became a private company again in 2004, the income finding is not yet available to the general public.
On June 7, 2010, a Chicago-based private equity firm, Industrial Opportunity Partners (IOP) acquired Edelbrock.
Sponsors
Edelbrock does not sponsor the NASCAR team, but engages in advertising through a $ 250,000 per year (2004) contract with NASCAR that allows Edelbrock contingency stickers to be placed on any NASCAR race car. Contingency is a common form of "after-fact" sponsorship in which drivers place stickers on their vehicles from companies that post prize money to racing teams to win, in return for the right to use the winning images of drivers and their cars in promotional and advertising literature.
Edelbrock also sent contingent awards to attract drivers, including the racer class involved in racing as a hobby. Since 2002, Edelbrock has been the main sponsor of the PRO Edelbrock Drag Racing Series, featuring professional racing classes and athletes. The racing series includes seven classes of head-up racing styles and three racing style index classes.
Timeline
- 1913 - Vic Edelbrock, Sr. born
- 1927 - Family grocery store burned down
- 1931 - Edelbrock moves to California
- 1933 - Edelbrock marries Katie Collins, opens her first workshop on Wilshire Blvd. in Los Angeles
- 1934 - Edelbrock moves to store in Venice and Hoover in Los Angeles
- 1936 - Vic Edelbrock, Jr. born
- 1938 - Edelbrock buys 1932 Ford Roadster and designs the first Edelbrock product, Slingshot manifold
- 1941 - Edelbrock sets a land speed record on the 28 September V8 roadster
- 1941-45 - Edelbrock contributed to the war effort of World War II by making part of the Long Beach shipyard
- 1945 - Edelbrock designs his first aluminum racing cylinder head for flathead Fords
- 1946 - First Edelbrock catalog published
- 1948 - Edelbrock buys a Clayton machine dynamometer
- 1950 - Edelbrock moves to the first destination shop on Jefferson Blvd. in Los Angeles
- 1951 - the first streamliner powered by Flathead Ford to go over 200 mph (320 km/h) is Edelbrock with the Bachelor-Xydias So-Cal Special
- 1958 - Graduate of Vic Edelbrock, Jr. from USC; Edelbrock was the first to achieve one horsepower per cubic inch
- 1959 - Vic Edelbrock, Jr. married Nancy Crook
- 1962 - Vic Edelbrock, Sr. died of cancer at age 49
- 1966 - Edelbrock makes a racing boat for astronauts Gus Grissom and Gordon Cooper for the race at the Salton Sea
- 1968 - Edelbrock moves to El Segundo, California
- 1971-74 - Vic Edelbrock, Jr. president of SEMA
- 1975 - Name of Edelbrock Car Craft "Manufacturer of the Year"
- 1987 - Edelbrock moves to Torrance, California
- 1990 - Casted aluminum casting sand built in San Jacinto, California
- 1994 - Edelbrock becomes a public company on the NASDAQ stock exchange. The exhaust gas division was built.
- 1995 - Edelbrock acquires Qwiksilver II and begins producing Harley-Davidson motorcycle products
- 1998 - Edelbrock begins producing shock absorber
- 1999 - New open distribution center, including Vic's Garage, Edelbrock car museum.
- 1999 - Forbes named Edelbrock as one of the top 200 small companies
- 2000 - Forbes names Edelbrock as one of the top 200 small companies for the second year in a row
- 2000 - Edelbrock acquires Russell Performance Plumbing
- 2003 - Vic Edelbrock Sr. original 1932 Ford Roadster acquired and restored
- 2004 - Edelbrock became private
- 2007 - Edelbrock foundry plant begins construction of new permanent mold facility
- 2009 - Rob Simons, of Saleen, Incorporated merges with Edelbrock to design an exclusive integrated supercharger
- 2010 - Industry Opportunity Partners invest strategically in Edelbrock Corporation
- 2011 - Edelbrock sells suspension component lines to QA1
- 2017 - Vic Edelbrock, Jr. died at the age of 80.
Note
References and further reading
External links
- Edelbrock Performance LLC
- Edelbrock Foundry
Source of the article : Wikipedia
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