Vic Edelbrock, Jr.: 1936–2017 May He Rest in Peace

Vic Edelbrock, Jr. of Edelbrock LLC, passed away on June 9, 2017. He was eighty years old.

Otis Victor Edelbrock, Jr, best known as Vic Jr., was born in August 23, 1936 to Otis “Vic Sr.” Edelbrock, Sr. and Katie Edelbrock. Prior to starting the Edelbrock business, Vic Sr was a highly skilled mechanic and World War II veteran. He further honed his skills working in the shipyards in Long Beach as well as fabricating aircraft parts. In 1938, the business was formed with a 1932 Ford Roadster and the famous Slingshot manifold.

Vic Jr had attended the University of Southern California, graduating in 1958 with a degree in business. He also had a desire to become a fighter pilot and joined the ROTC in hopes of becoming one. Congress got in his way on that one, having passed a law mandating that pilots had to serve five years instead of three to earn combat wings. So, he left and returned to working with his father. In 1962, Vic Sr. lost his battle with cancer and Vic Jr., just twenty-six at the time, took over as President and CEO until 2010.

Vic Junior took Edelbrock to new heights, becoming an industry leader.

While he couldn’t get his combat wings, Vic did go on to earn his Private Pilot certificate in 1968. He rented a plane from Bob Hedman, the founder of Hedman Hedders to do so. There was a use for that certificate, as Vic Jr. would fly out from Edelbrock’s headquarters in Torrance, California to their foundry in San Jacinto, California, one-hundred miles to the east.

Under Vic Jr.’s stead, the company grew from ten employees and annual sales of $450-thousand to over seven-hundred people and nearly $126-million in annual sales. He was also key to Edelbrock becoming a charter member of the Specialty Equipment Marketing Association (SEMA) in the 1960s. He served as president from 1971 to 1974 and was on the board of directors from 1967 to 1989. His tenure as president of SEMA was during the crucial time of the 1970s with the creation of the EPA and Clean Air Act as well as the fuel crisis of that time. Edelbrock also produced the Streetmaster intake manifold which improved gas mileage and performance, combating soaring gas prices of the era.

He was a true car enthusiast, through and through.

Edelbrock was also an avid racer. He was a regular presence at the Monterey Historic Automobile Races at Mazda Raceway Laguna Seca as well as the PNW Historics at Pacific Raceways in Kent, Washington. His race cars included a C3 Corvette, a George Follmer Mustang BOSS 302 Trans Am racer, and a 68 Camaro. Though, those don’t include the cars he and the company helped build in their time together.

For me, personally, Vic Jr. and Edelbrock were the innovative team I looked towards for inspiration in my enthusiast years. Their reach made me look beyond domestics as the company did more than just hot rods. They were and still are well known in the import community. Who else but a hotrodder could do both domestic and import performance and still be innovative, creative, and a technology leader for both for as long as they have.

I don’t think there are many that could say that without the name Edelbrock.