By SEMA Editors
Ely "Reeves" Callaway III, the founder and CEO of Callaway Cars, has passed
away. He was 75.
Callaway founded the company in 1977 from his garage in Old Lyme, Connecticut. Among the first successful products was an aftermarket turbo kit for BMW, which renowned automotive journalist Don Sherman reviewed favorably in Car and Driver.
Callaway is well known for his work with Corvette, which helped deliver two industry firsts, including the Callaway twin-turbo Corvette "B2K" designation. The second was a world-first record in 1989 when Callaway Cars built a twin-turbo Corvette, dubbed "The Sledgehammer," that set a production-car top speed record of 254.76 mph. That record was held until 2010 when Bugatti achieved 267.85 mph in a Veyron Super Sport.
Later in 1994, Callaway launched a Germany-based racing unit, Callaway Competition, with partners Ernst Wöhr and Giovanni Ciccone.
"Thanks to Reeves' visionary entrepreneurial spirit, Callaway Cars will continue to innovate and grow in the 21st century, inspired by his unique, extraordinary vision and by his personal example of integrity, resourcefulness and leadership as our founder," said Peter Reeves Callaway, the deceased's son and current president of Callaway Cars.
For more details, visit the Callaway Cars announcement.