Ed Iskenderian: The Camshaft King
A Los Angeles hot rodder who turned grinding camshafts into one of the best-known names in speed equipment.
Illustrative image · AI-generated, not a historical photograph
Ed Iskenderian, known throughout hot rodding as "Isky," was a Southern California enthusiast whose interest in making engines run better led him to the camshaft — the part that controls when an engine's valves open and close.
After World War II he set up a business grinding performance camshafts in the Los Angeles area. Isky Racing Cams supplied racers on the dry lakes, at Bonneville, and later on the drag strips that spread across the country.
Selling speed
Iskenderian was known as much for his marketing as his engineering. His advertising, decals, and catalogs helped make the Isky name familiar to a generation of hot rodders, and he became a well-known supporter of drag racing in its early years.
He was also among the early figures in the organized speed equipment industry associated with SEMA. Iskenderian died in 2023 at the age of 101.
About this story
This is a sample feature prepared for the HotRodHistory.com demonstration. It summarizes widely documented events and contains no quotations attributed to historical figures. Dates and details should be confirmed against primary sources before publication. The image above is an AI-generated illustration, not a historical photograph.
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