Ed Iskenderian tells BOMONSTER a Funny Story
Ed Iskenderian passed away at 104 this week. I’ve met him a number of times at races and car shows. He was a genuinely good guy - always happy to talk like we were old friends. I didn't know much about his flathead roadster he built in 1938 until I saw it displayed at the Motorama car show. Imagine engineering and building this car at 16 years old - before the term "hot rod" was invented - and before World War II started! Check out a good story on the car here: American Museum of Speed
I was once invited to a private party during the SEMA show in a vacation condo where Ed was the special guest. He told a funny story about Don Garlits sending a cam back to Ed because he didn’t like the way it ran. Ed marked it and made another one to Don’s recommended specs. Garlits ran it, didn’t like it, and accused Ed of not following Don’s specs. So Ed sent him the original cam unchanged without telling him but told Garlits it was new and to his exact specs. Garlits ran it, set a new record - breaking the seven second mark (6.95) in 1967 and Garlits was happy.
My scratchboard art is a from another time. A time when drag racing was new and cars celebrated horsepower. My respect for those early tire-smoking pioneers runs through all the art and apparel I create. have a look: BOMONSTER
