1959 thunderbird used in demolition derby

#1959 thunderbird used in demolition derby drivers

When we sent an engine to a new part of the country our phone would ring off the hook after that first run or win.

#1959 thunderbird used in demolition derby drivers

We have found that traveling to bigger shows to vend often gave drivers a chance to talk with us and ask questions, resulting in more sales and interest in our product. Teams are very loyal to certain brands or builders and follow what they see work on the track more than anything. The demolition derby market was, and still is, an extremely lucrative market when it comes to “getting in” and being accepted. Once business really took off, we realized all the drivers who approached us wanted one thing, an engine that would run well while hot and not die on the track.

We were always trying to come up with new ideas just to get a few more minutes of run time with no water and outlast the next guy. Over time we developed good relationships, and by having the engines close to home, we were able to tear them down regularly to see the fruits, or faults, of our labor. Baldwin broke into the derby market in 2005 with reliable derby engines making big power.īRE at the time, was heavily invested in circle track racing and drag racing when we were approached by several derby drivers in our area wanting us to build them engines to run in some of the larger derbies across the country. The general consensus was that rebuilding a factory style SBC with big tolerances was your best shot at getting an engine to run any length of time without water. At the time, there were already several known engine builders in the derby market such as Gard Speed Shop, Gropp Automotive Specialists, Colyer Performance, Redline Racing Engines, and Scott Zizelman.

All the drivers who approached BRE wanted one thing – an engine that would run well while hot and not die on the track.īaldwin Racing Engines (BRE) broke into the derby market around 2005 with something most people were not accustomed to, reliable derby engines making big power.