|
Born Otis Victor Edelbrock, he was best known as “Vic”. Vic's natural propensity for all things mechanical made him a natural with the automobile. Born in a small town in Kansas, Vic left for a better, more prosperous life on the West Coast hoping to one day work for himself. By 1933 he was married and racing at the dry lakes with friends, and opened his own repair shop in partnership with his new brother-in-law Ray. As his passion for speed became stronger, Vic started building his own speed parts for his flathead Ford to push his car to be the best.
After serving time welding and machining parts on an assembly line for war time efforts, Vic knew he had the experience to mass produce his own parts. Vic would go on to test all of his new parts with his 1932 Ford, which was his daily driver during the week and his racer on the weekends. As the business grew, he tested parts with the company’s new Clayton dynamometer and then field tested his new products to get the best results. Vic followed all of the emerging trends to stay on top of what was happening and he propelled the company forward by being cutting edge for the day. New emerging engines from the big automakers, like Chevrolet's small block engine program, would give Vic the basis for continually adding new parts. With racing programs pushing his business along and solidifying his spot in the marketplace, Vic’s company would become the leader in the marketplace.
In 1962 at the age of 49, Vic Senior passed away from cancer and Vic Junior would be given the reins to the company with support from Vic Senior's loyal employees. After almost four decades of speed equipment from Vic Sr., Junior would continue pushing the company forward to carry on his dad’s legacy. Today the company is flourishing with help from Vic Junior and his two daughters who are heavily involved with the company! Some of the things Vic Sr. was noted for:
|