| 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, Calif. |
| 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, Calif. |
| 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, Calif.. |
| 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, Calif. |
| 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, Calif. 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. |
| 2003 |
Edelbrock introduces its
first turbocharger, for Honda Civics, at the 2003 SEMA International
Auto Salon. |
Edelbrock Corp. • 2700 California St. • Torrance, CA • 90503 • (310) 781-2222
