Ed Iskenderian
It’s no coincidence that the rise of history’s most famous cam grinder closely parallels the evolution of drag racing. The roots of our sport were planted at the dry lakes, and young Ed hitched his first ride to Muroc in 1937, behind the wheel of a modified roadster being towed by a rope. In 1946, the postwar hot rod explosion had barely ignited when he grew impatient waiting for a back ordered Clay Smith cam and decided to grind his own. Within three years, that “Isky 404” was the most famous flathead cam of its time. Blessed with a promotional flair that matched his mechanical skills, Ed expertly used Hot Rod Magazine ad space to publicize his accomplishments. In 1949, when a customer asked for crew uniforms to wear at the inaugural Bonneville Nationals, Isky combined his logo with white undershirts to create history’s first printed T-shirts. Later, he pioneered the payment of contingency cash to early drag racers. The controversial record runs of Cook & Bedwell (166.97 mph) and Chris Karamesines (204.54 mph) were glorified, and largely legitimized, by extensive Isky advertising. Combining humor with uncanny marketing, he waged the “Camgrinder Wars” in the pages of Drag News, and in the process, help make major stars of not only his own customers but also racers who ran rival camshafts such as Stone, Woods & Cook. When the speed equipment industry recognized the need to form its own trade association in 1963, Isky was elected the first President of SEMA. His sons would go on to operate Ed Iskenderian Racing Cams, but Isky remained intimately involved in the sport he helped create. The “Camfather” is regularly seen at NHRA Hot Rod Reunions yearly.