A Tribute To Aftermarket Tuning Pioneer Vic Edelbrock Jr.

One of my fondest childhood memories was waking up on Saturday mornings to watch TV. Unlike most 10-year-olds, however, I wasn’t interested in watching Pokemon, Bugs Bunny, or even the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles. Instead, my father and I would tune into a TV channel that always aired a marathon of vehicle restoration shows every Saturday morning. These shows were the first things to really pique my interest in taking apart, fixing and modifying cars; a passion that has united me with many petrol-headed friends throughout my life.

Odd as it may seem, my memories of the TV commercials are just as vivid. These commercials, usually of aftermarket parts manufacturers, helped introduce me to the notion that you could go out and buy different components for your car to make it better, faster, and cooler. One of the companies I remember the most from these commercials was Edelbrock.

I particularly remember these commercials for the convivial on-screen presence of company president Vic Edelbrock Jr. His charismatic aura was an asset in selling Edelbrock’s massive inventory of performance parts. Specialising in American muscle cars, Edelbrock’s product line includes intake manifolds, throttle bodies, carburettors and cylinder heads. As a child, I was unaware of just how important the Edelbrock company was to the world of automotive tuning.

Pictured above is the car part that made Edelbrock famous. It’s the ‘Slingshot’ performance intake manifold for a 1932 Ford. It was invented by Vic Edelbrock Sr, and it served two equally important purposes: not only did the Slingshot improve the airflow to the Ford’s flathead engine, it also allowed for a second carburettor to be installed. This greatly increased horsepower, and was so popular that it turned Edelbrock from an ordinary automobile repairman into a tuning legend. Edelbrock’s famous parts company was born.

Although Edelbrock would have never come to pass without the mechanical ingenuity of Vic Edelbrock Sr, it was the younger Vic Edelbrock that took the company to the next level. After his father passed away in 1962, Vic Jr became the president of the Edelbrock company; and remained a guiding light for the next 55 years. In that time, Edelbrock had become a titan in tuning circles throughout the United States; thanks in no small part to the Vic Jr’s charisma and business skill. Edelbrock intake manifolds and carburettors became the must-have accessories for car buffs and drag racers everywhere.

In addition to leading the legendary tuning company that bore his name, Vic Edelbrock Jr was a founder of the Specialty Equipment Marketing Association. The goal of the association was to bring automakers together with manufacturers of both OEM and aftermarket components. They are perhaps most famous today for their annual exposition of tuned vehicles and aftermarket parts that takes place in Las Vegas. In fact, the SEMA show is arguably one of the most significant car shows in the world.

Vic Edelbrock would eventually become the president of SEMA in 1971. This was a do-or-die period for the tuning scene, as the 1970s oil crisis reared its ugly head. For three years, Edelbrock navigated SEMA through the political rigmarole that killed off the era of big-engined American muscle cars. Although it would seem like his efforts might have been in vain, the fact that SEMA and the tuning scene even survived the 70s could be considered a small miracle in itself. Without the leadership of Edelbrock, SEMA may never have been able to branch out to the international market; and the worldwide tuning scene would be considerably different than what it is today.

Vic Edelbrock Jr was a true pioneer of aftermarket tuning. On Friday, 9 June, Vic sadly passed away at the age of 80. Throughout my childhood, I had always thought that Vic Edelbrock Jr was just a legend in the racing scene and the tuning culture during the glory days of the American muscle car. In reality, his work made a much more profound and lasting impact on car culture around the world. He belonged to the same legion of automotive masterminds as Carroll Shelby, Johann Abt and John Hennessey. The mark he made has been to the benefit of petrolheads in the past, present and future. Without a doubt, he will be dearly missed by tuning enthusiasts all around the world.