If you’re a fan of Stewart-Warner iconic instruments and accessories, chances are you love your car. Whether you have an antique, a classic, a muscle car, hotrod or street racer, you’ve put a lot of time, care and love into your vehicle. We get it. Because the Stewart-Warner team shares your passion for timeless cars.
We invite you to meet two of our in-house experts and big-time car enthusiasts. In future blogs, you’ll get to know Bob and Chris a little better, hear their stories, and learn from their knowledge and experiences.
For me, it all started early on with Hot Wheels and then Slot Cars. I soon found that I was more of a racer than show car kind of guy. Long before I had a license of my own, I can remember egging on my father to race other vehicles on the road. And I clearly got my passion for speed from him, as he would typically put pedal to the metal and oblige.
After I finished school, I moved to the Lancaster, Penn., area where I started drag racing with my Toyota Supra at two local drag strips. Immediately, the performance modifications began. Once you establish the initial baseline on your factory stock vehicle, it’s so much fun to make changes and see how much faster you can go. Of course, once you start, the sky really is the limit. But all along, I knew that I wanted to keep a balance between having a fun car to drive on the street and having a fast car at the drag strip. Maintaining that balance turned out to be good for my wallet. I competed in some local events, and while I never took first place, I did have a few second and third place finishes. The main thing was I always had a blast, which is what life is all about.
Today, I’m still racing. Recently, a friend and I finished an engine swap in my Factory Five Daytona Coupe, which features only Stewart-Warner Deluxe gauges — just like the original six cars manufactured by Carroll Shelby.
For the last 18 years, I’ve been fortunate to make a living while having a whole lot of fun in the automotive industry. My career experience includes time spent promoting and judging automotive events on a national level at a variety of attractions — ranging from hot rod to import to big rig, and everything in between. Here at maximatecc, I strive to create innovative products, offer superior customer support, and help to spread the word about the classic style and quality of the Stewart-Warner brand.
Over the years, I’ve really loved designing and building my own vehicles. I’ve gained unbelievable hands-on experience conceptualizing and building a number of cars and motorcycles, including several builds for Scion. I’m so proud to have been the First Place Winner in the 2012 Scion SEMA Tuner Challenge, with my Minty FReSh FR-S car. I was also involved with two other winners from previous years.
These days, I’ve refocused my personal passions to building motorcycles. I continue to work in event promotions and am thrilled to be assisting in the Lowlife Style “Junk Food Meet” series. Whatever I do, I strive to find creative vehicle designs that are functional and show-stopping. I look forward to sharing my stories with you.
Do you know someone who would enjoy Chris’s story? Share this post and encourage them to sign up for our monthly e-news.
Sign up on our home page to receive monthly e-news in your inbox.
