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| Ed Iskenderian | |
|---|---|
| Name | Ed Iskenderian |
| Birth date | 1916-10-15 |
| Birth place | Oklahoma City, Oklahoma |
| Death date | 2021-01-02 |
| Occupation | Automotive engineer, entrepreneur, camshaft designer |
| Years active | 1930s–2010s |
| Known for | Isky Racing Cams, hot rodding innovations |
Ed Iskenderian
Ed Iskenderian was an American camshaft designer, entrepreneur, and influential figure in the development of hot rodding and high-performance automotive engineering. His career spanned decades of technical change across Ford Motor Company, General Motors, Hot Rod magazine circuits, and National Hot Rod Association events, and he helped shape aftermarket performance parts, motorsport culture, and technical standards that influenced IndyCar Series and NASCAR competition.
Born in Oklahoma City, Oklahoma to Armenian immigrant parents, Iskenderian moved with family to Los Angeles during childhood, where he came of age amid the interwar automotive scene centered in Southern California. He apprenticed under machinists and interacted with early customizers near Pasadena and Long Beach, developing machining skills influenced by workshops serving Ford Model T and Ford Model A restoration projects. Exposure to regional builders and events like the Bonneville Salt Flats speed trials and Muroc Dry Lake meets connected him with figures from Phil Hill’s era to west-coast custom shops that later populated pages of Rod & Custom and Car Craft.
In the 1930s and 1940s Iskenderian began modifying camshafts and valvetrain components for Flathead V8 engines, collaborating informally with racers working on Indianapolis 500‑style overhead valve conversions and dry-lake streamliners. He sold parts to local speed enthusiasts who competed at Bonneville, Glen Helen Raceway, and Ascot Park, and his early business intersected with suppliers to Harley-Davidson motorcycle tuners and Jeep modifiers during wartime. Contacts with magazine editors at Hot Rod and Mechanics Illustrated amplified his reputation alongside contemporaries such as Vic Edelbrock, Carroll Shelby, Mickey Thompson, and Edwin "Bill" Thomas.
Iskenderian formally launched his camshaft business under the Isky name in the postwar era, establishing operations in Los Angeles and later expanding distribution nationally to regions including Detroit, Chicago, and Houston. He leveraged relationships with performance shops servicing Chevrolet Small-Block V8, Ford FE engine, and Chrysler Hemi platforms, becoming a preferred supplier for aftermarket shops that supported entrants in SCCA club events and NHRA drag racing. Strategic marketing in publications such as Hot Rod and partnerships with speed shops in Anaheim and Burbank helped Isky Racing Cams grow into a recognizable brand within networks that included Edelbrock Corporation, Holley, Crane Cams, and Moroso.
Iskenderian pioneered hardened camshaft surface treatments, precision grinding techniques, and profile design methods that improved valvetrain stability across high-RPM applications used in Formula One–level development and American stock-car competition. He introduced asymmetrical lobe profiles and advanced duration/lift combinations to optimize airflow onChevrolet Small-Block and Ford Windsor engine variants, influencing valve-spring design and rocker geometry adopted by race engine builders for Indy 500 and Daytona 500 campaigns. His work also fed into accessory evolution for crankcase ventilation and timing systems utilized by shops working with Buell Motorcycle tuners and Lucas Industries–equipped British imports.
Throughout his career Iskenderian sponsored and supplied camshafts to drag racers, road-race teams, and oval competitors, supporting entrants in NHRA national events, USAC championship races, and SCCA endurance meetings. Partnerships with drivers and teams linked his brand to personalities and programs including Don Garlits, Tom McEwen, Bill Thomas, and independent builders campaigning at Irwindale Speedway and Pomona Raceway. His products were used by entrants at Bonneville Salt Flats speed trials and by privateers preparing cars for 24 Hours of Le Mans–style endurance tests in promotional American road races.
Iskenderian received multiple lifetime achievement recognitions from motorsport and aftermarket organizations, being honored by halls of fame and trade groups that include the NHRA Hall of Fame, National Automotive Parts Association–linked awards, and local Chamber of Commerce honors in Los Angeles County. His status among industry pioneers places him alongside Vic Edelbrock, Carroll Shelby, Mickey Thompson, and Zora Arkus-Duntov in histories of American performance engineering, and his company name continues as a touchstone in restoration and period-correct builds featured in Hemmings Motor News, Goodguys Rod & Custom Association shows, and museum exhibits alongside artifacts related to Hot Rod Magazine’s formative years.
Iskenderian balanced business with family life in Southern California, participating in community events and mentoring younger engineers who later worked for firms such as Edelbrock Corporation and Crower Cams. In later decades he remained an elder statesman at car shows, swap meets in Pomona, and trade gatherings with representatives from NHRA, SCCA, and collectors tied to The Petersen Automotive Museum. His long life spanned epochs from prewar hot rodding through the modern collector car movement, leaving a technical and cultural legacy cited by restorers, racers, and historians.
Category:American automotive engineers Category:People from Los Angeles Category:People from Oklahoma City Category:1916 births Category:2021 deaths