10/07/2023
In March 1966, Manley Speed Equipment, Inc. was founded by Hank Manley shortly after his graduation from Brown University. His interest in performance and racing traced back to 1960 when at age seventeen he rebuilt a 312 CID Ford V-8 engine, installed a camshaft and three two-barrel carburetors, and raced a 1956 Thunderbird on the streets of New Jersey.
Initially the line included stainless valves, forged pistons, camshafts, lifters, vanadium valve springs, push rods and timing chain kits. The first catalog was mimeographed paper. The address of the company, prophetically, was 13 Race Street in Bloomfield, New Jersey. A name change to Manley Performance Products, Inc soon followed.
Don Garlits, Bo Laws and Joe Mondello were early customers and their race cars appeared on the cover of the 1969 catalog. In 1971 a decade-long relationship began with legendary Bill Jenkins and Grumpy's Toy made its initial appearance on the cover of a Manley catalog. The flamboyant Funny Car showman "Jungle Jim" Liberman was also a prized customer and friend.
Hank's son, Trip Manley, spent the summertime during his youth learning the trade while working in the valve department at Manley Performance. In 1987, Trip had the opportunity to work for the Gywnn family on Darrell's Top Fuel team. This was the experience of a lifetime, not only being employed by the Gwynn’s and learning about the Fuel car but traveling the country and getting a first-hand education from guys like Chris Cunningham and Mike Green (Mike has been a top crew chief for many years since his early days maintaining the cylinder heads for Darrell). Before entering his final year of college in 1988, Trip worked for American Eagle Marine, an offshore boat racing team in Torrance, CA, in the engine department; primarily focused on cylinder head development.
After completing his academic education, Trip was off to New England; to run the northeast sales territory for Manley Performance. Two years later he took over the Sales Manager position and today he and his management team, consisting of Michael Tokarchik (G.M.), Gil Morejon (CFO) and Peter Coleman (Manufacturing Manager), run the company's day-to-day operations.
By 1988 the company had outgrown the Bloomfield facility and several acres were purchased in Lakewood, New Jersey for the construction of a new factory. Ten years later the manufacturing space was doubled. Connecting rods were now manufactured in the plant along with a line of Platinum Series forged pistons. The original building in Lakewood has now been expanded twice, the latest addition to the manufacturing space completed in 2014. In place of the lonely Monarch and Bridgeport are 75 CNC spindles producing stainless steel and titanium valves, aluminum pistons, steel connecting rods, chrome moly push rods, steel and titanium retainers and valve locks.
Led by our GM Michael Tokarchik, in 2002 Manley entered the high-performance passenger car market as an OEM supplier of connecting rods for the 2003/2004 Ford SVT Mustang Cobra. Production reached 2500 rods per week without missing a single delivery date. Ford awarded Manley its highest ever supplier rating. Manley's presence in the OEM market continued as a supplier for the Ford GT.
Today, Manley Performance continues to re-define itself in a high-performance aftermarket industry that is constantly evolving. We've developed new products for growing markets such as sport compact, Ford modular and Chevy LS; as well as maintained our leadership role with the traditional V-8 engine business.
Our mission remains: to manufacture the finest quality internal engine components at competitive prices and offer unparalleled customer service.
The Greg Morris Memorial Golf Tournament and the Drag Racers Benevolent Fund would like to thank Manley Performance Products, Inc. for their contributions. The 17th Annual Greg Morris Memorial Golf Tournament is Wednesday October 11, 2023 at the Old Brickyard Golf Course in Ferris, TX. The 4-man scramble begins with a shotgun start at 11am. Transportation will be provided from the Texas Motorplex to the golf course. Contact Craig Anderson at [email protected] or Gregg Odom @aol.com to field a team or to become an event sponsor. All proceeds benefit the Drag Racers Benevolent Fund.
