Hot rod pioneer Andy Granatelli was a pivotal force in the earliest days of the industry, building a business out of selling speed equipment to new automotive enthusiasts who wanted to modify their cars. Grancor (short for Granatelli Corp.) was a warehouse distributor serving the Midwest by importing products from California manufacturers such as Edelbrock, Winfield and Belond. Over the years, Granatelli fielded numerous racing efforts at the Indianapolis 500, including the memorable turbine-powered STP car driven by Parnelli Jones in 1967.

After 20 years of involvement with SEMA and the specialty and performance sector, Granatelli is a member of the Bonneville and El Mirage 200 MPH Clubs as well as the Society of Automotive Engineers (SAE) and received the "Racing Pioneer" title from the American Auto Racing Writers & Broadcasters Association (AARWBA).

Granatelli passed away at the age of 90.

Arnold “Arnie” Kuhns has made numerous contributions to the motorsports industry. In 1984, he became the president of SFI, a non-profit foundation established to issue and administer safety standards for specialty/performance automotive and racing products.
At the time SFI had only two employees and four product standards for one race-sanctioning body. Since then, he has helped SFI grow to nine employees responsible for 80 specifications, and the organization is affiliated with nearly 40 sanctioning bodies.
Kuhns has been awarded the USAC Jack O’Neal Award for Motorsports Safety and the SCCA George Snively Award for Outstanding Contributions in Motorsports Safety.

Harry Hibler made his professional mark in the publishing industry, serving at Petersen Publishing for nearly 30 years. He was responsible for considerable growth in the company’s automotive enthusiast magazines, including Hot Rod, Car Craft and Circle Track.

In 1991, Hibler was the only non-GM person called upon to be involved in the design of the “new generation” Camaro and Firebird. He also has consulted at Mitsubishi, Kawasaki and Honda. Hibler served three terms on the SEMA Board of Directors. He is on the selection board of the Drag Racing Hall of Fame, and is a member of the Industrial Advisory Board of Northwestern College in Ohio, where he was inducted into the Hall of Fame in 1994.

Robert Vandergriff has been associated with Petersen Publishing, NHRA and McMullen Advertising. At those organizations, he helped increase magazine circulations, contributed to company growth and received countless advertising awards.

It is, however, his role as a businessman and entrepreneur that he is best known. In 1978, Vandergriff purchased his steppingstone to the future: Hedman Manufacturing.

“He put up everything he had so that he could purchase the company,” recalls Dick Van Cleve, who has known Vandergriff for more than 30 years.

Vandergriff put up his mortgage and sold his cars and his stocks. With the money he raised—along with the help of McMullen and several friends—Vandergriff purchased the then-troubled company.

“If he had not made it, he’d be flat broke today,” said Van Cleve. Vandergriff, however, was committed to turning the company around. “He told McMullen that he would personally go in and make sure that the company was well run.”

With what Vandergriff describes as “a lot of hard work and dedication from a lot of people,” he did just that. Vandergriff built Hedman Hedders to become one of today’s most successful companies in the industry.

He went on to purchase Beeline Engineering (JR Headers) in 1982 and Trans-Dapt, an accessory company, in 1991. He officially left McMullen Advertising in 1992 and now concentrates his efforts on Hedman Hedders, JR Headers and Trans-Dapt.

As the owner of these companies, he has also been one of SEMA’s most active members. Vandergriff was a SEMA Board of Directors member for six years, and served on many SEMA committees.

“Bob became an active member of SEMA and was a prominent leader and supporter of projects that helped to build the SEMA Show’s success,” said NHRA’s Wally Parks.

“I think what uniquely qualifies Bob to membership in the SEMA Hall of Fame is his ability to work behind the scenes, accomplishing objectives that help the growth and solidification of the industry and SEMA,” said Jim McFarland.

Vandergriff invested several years and time as chairman of SEMA’s annual golf tournament. The event helped raise thousands of dollars for the SEMA Scholarship Fund.

In addition to his own personal involvement with the association, Vandergriff has allowed and supported his employees’ participation in SEMA. Two of Hedman’s top executives, Charlie Van Cleve and Ron Funfar, spent several years on SEMA’s Board of Directors.

“Never have Ron or I ever heard any grumblings for spending time on SEMA business,” said Charlie Van Cleve. “And if anyone in the company showed any interest at all in participating in SEMA activities, Bob would allow it in a heart beat. Along with [B&M’s] Bob Spar, I cannot think of two other company owners who have been so generous with their company’s time to SEMA.”

“His personal dedication to the performance industries and his countless contributions to SEMA’s interests have made Bob Vandergriff Sr. a highly qualified recipient for induction into this year’s SEMA Hall of Fame,” said Parks.

Hedman Hedders has been recognized with the PWA Manufacturer of the Year awards in 1982 and 1988, and Vandergriff was recognized as the 1989 SEMA Person of the Year.

Yet, despite Vandergriff’s many accomplishments and great success, his induction into the SEMA Hall of Fame still came as a shock to him.

“I thought it was a mistake,” Vandergriff said when he first heard the news. “I’m proud to be included in the group. These are people I used to read about a lot.”

Most racers know Marvin Rifchin as the “M” in M&H Tire Co. He and his dad, Henry, owned and operated M&H out of the cellar of a little gas station at 910 Main Street in Watertown, Massachusetts. The two started in the tire business in the 1930s by producing retreads for midget racing—one of Marvin’s passions at the time. Midget racing eventually waned in popularity in the area, so M&H began to retread tires for stock cars.
    As cars got lighter and lap times got quicker, tires began to blow. The carcasses of tire bodies used in those days couldn’t stand the punishment, so M&H began to use truck and bus tires. That worked for a while, but they were too thick and came apart as well.
    In 1952, Rifchin recalls having to decide “whether to stay in the business [of retreading] or start making new tires.”  Working with Ohio-based Denman Rubber Mfg. Co., M&H started to make tires specifically for stock car racing.
    Bob Osiecki, a friend of Rifchin’s who ran a dragstrip in South Carolina, was looking for a tire with a better bite. Knowing little about drag racing, Rifchin went to the race and brought a few sets of new tires he thought might offer good acceleration and durability. Don Garlits was set to race with a set of similar tires. Rifchin suggested that he try a pair of M&H tires.
    “I was about 20 years old,” said Garlits. “I knew about this man [Rifchin] who was into stock car races. He said that I needed a tire that’s not recapped. Marv had these tires that had the same mold but softer rubber. They were narrow, about 6.5 inches wide, but he said that wouldn’t matter. I didn’t know that much about tires back then and listened to what he had to say.” Garlits tried the tires and ran 160, earning Top Eliminator honors.
    Soon after, M&H began to manufacture tires for drag racing and was among the first to make tires specifically for the sport.
    “We made tires for all types of race cars,” said Rifchin, “but my primary interest was drag racing. That was the most fascinating part of my life. That was my primary interest because we had a lot of fun doing it.”
    Uni-Marketing’s Harry Hibler drag raced only on M&H tires. He said, “When his product is on your car, you know it’s the best that can be made.”
    When Goodyear entered the drag racing tire market in 1964, many thought that it was the end of M&H. Rifchin, however, found the competition stimulating and a lot of fun, and M&H continued to thrive.
    “I think the greatest accomplishment that any of us could have were the tire wars that we went through with Goodyear,” said Rifchin. “The competition led to us being instrumental in securing some of the most fantastic advances to take place on the business’ mechanical and scientific side.”
    “He was always the leader,” Hibler said of Rifchin’s tires. “He pushed Goodyear and the other tire companies to greater heights than they would have gone.”
    SEMA board member Steve Bolio of Scafidi-Bolio and Associates said, “He’s just an amazing guy. He came up with blends for tires and was able to beat the big guys.”
    Rifchin credits much of his success to the racers, “the fellows who used the product and gave us a report of what the tire does and does not do…. That’s what allowed us to advance our products.”
    “One thing about Marv is when he knew someone was running his parts, especially when trying a new set, he would call the next week and ask how they did,” said Hibler. “He wanted to know if they handled OK.”
    Rifchin was hands-on and worked side-by-side with the racers. “I remember one time he had a special new set of tires for the Winternationals. The Cleveland Airport got fogged in, and we were all in Pomona waiting for the new tires. We got them
on Saturday. Marvin was there mounting the tires himself,” said Garlits.
    “I personally owe a great deal to Marvin,” said Don Prudhomme. “He took care of us.”
    M&H Tires remains at the forefront of the industry. “His tires have resurrected themselves,” said Bill “Digga” Deguio, who has known Rifchin since 1956. When the two were at the Hot Rod Reunion in Bakersfield, California, last summer, they noticed that the cars were running the same tire design that was used 40 years ago.
    “I was flabbergasted,” said Rifchin on his induction into the SEMA Hall of Fame. “I didn’t do anything that I can think of to warrant an honor like that.”
    Thousands of racers would disagree.

Bob has been instrumental in preaching the ‘gospel’ of how to run and manage a performance business through his prolific writings published not only by various Canadian automotive consumer magazines, but many SEMA publications as well,” said Bob Keller of Turbonetics. “He always professed the best interest of the industry as a whole—not just his niche.”

The “Bob” that Keller was referring to is Bob McJannett of Performance Improvements.

Those familiar with McJannett and his performance retails shops may be surprised to learn that McJannett started his business in 1964 as a small, part-time speed shop, with just $1,500 that he borrowed from Susan, his then-fiancé. Today, the company operates nine retail stores in two Canadian provinces, is responsible for 50 employees and continues to look for future growth.

As a car enthusiast and entrepreneur, McJannett has always whole-heartedly shared his experienced, knowledge and wisdom with others in the industry. For several years, he penned a regular column in SEMA News. Topics included how to increase sales and profits, enhance staff morale, decrease staff turnover and more.

Although located in an area that sometimes felt like a million miles from “what we think of as the mainstream,” McJannett was one of SEMA’s strongest supporters.

“Bob was more active than 90 percent of the people on the board,” said Keller, who sat on the board with him. “I don’t know many individuals who can compare to him as a spokesman for SEMA and our industry.”

“All in all he was a real delight to work with,” said Leo Kagan, who was also on the board with McJannett. “Bob and his wife have always been strong SEMA supporters. They evidence it by the efforts that they put into the association.”

John Towle, executive director of PWA, another organization that McJannett was actively involved with, said, “McJannett is one of the finest individuals in the industry. He is just a stand-up, straightforward guy with integrity at the highest level.”

McJannett always made efforts to open doors and provide opportunities for young people interested in entering the industry. “He’ll go out of his way to help people,” said Dick Van Cleve, who met McJannett about 15 years ago and considered him to be his closest friend. “Bob would hire kids just so that they could be around cars and learn about cars. He’d do that just so that they could learn about the industry.”

Performance Improvements continues to actively support the industry. McJannett helped to oppose an Ontario bill that threatened to ban certain aftermarket performance equipment in Canada earlier this year.

“Bob schooled me on the intricacies of Canadian provincial politics, while remaining open to the tried-and-true lobbying techniques that have proven successful in the States,” said Steve McDonald, SEMA director of government affairs.

“He brought to SEMA a wealth of experience in legislative analyses, coalition building and the development and implementation of association policy. The breadth of his knowledge of the issues of critical importance to the aftermarket has provided SEMA with an effective advocate in Canada and a valuable resource in our efforts to protect and advance the specialty aftermarket industry.”

Whether it was the way he managed his business, his involvement with SEMA or the information he preached through his writings, McJannett always had the industry’s best interests in mind. He was honored with the SEMA Person of the Year award in 1990. Being inducted into the SEMA Hall of Fame, however, is something he never dreamed of.

“I was stunned,” said McJannett. “It’s an honor for me to be in something I never dreamed possible. My heroes are in the SEMA Hall of Fame. I never thought that I would be one of those people.”

Ray Lipper, the founder of Center Line Tool Corp., has built a name for himself and his company based on his background as a designer and engineer. He recognized the need for a stronger wheel in racing, then went to work creating numerous wheels for the industry.

Lipper has produced some of the lightest and strongest one-piece wheels in the industry, from his first attempt, known as the Auto Drag, to his development of the technique for using a single blank that can be split and spun into a one-piece wheel.

Center Line is credited with being the first wheel manufacturing company to produce a modular aftermarket wheel for Harley-Davidson, and the first to develop and manufacture a wheel using a rotary forging process. Lipper and his engineers at Center Line also developed and produced the wheels for the Spirit of America land speed record car.

Lipper has developed his once-small tool company into one of the most recognizable wheel companies in the world.

To label Jim Wirth a car fanatic would not do justice to his passion for the automobile. A quick cruise through his past reveals a history that’s immersed in all things automotive. Born into a family of car enthusiasts, he spent his early years riding around in rumble seats and touring cars. When he was just three years old, his father built him a gas-powered car using parts from old lawn mowers. Wirth drove the car in a St. Patrick’s Day antique car parade, towing a toy rocket ship. Around the time he was to get his driver’s license, Wirth spent an entire year helping his Dad restore a ’28 Model A pickup truck. It was during that project that he learned to respect the hard work and craftsmanship it takes to restore and customize a classic car.

While his peers were hanging out, Wirth was degreasing engine parts, sanding fenders and handing tools to his Dad. By the late ‘60s he’d been bitten by the musclecar bug. At age 19, he was cruising the streets of his hometown in various big-block Chevys. And despite rumors to the contrary, Wirth contends that he always obeyed the traffic laws. Wirth’s enthusiasm for cars didn’t subside during his college years. His grade point average at Wright State University reflected the fact that he spent more time on his hot rods than on his studies. In July 1974, Wirth married his high-school sweetheart, Della. They rode from the church to the reception in a 1921 Kissel, as part of an antique car parade led by a 1923 Hupmobile that Wirth still has today. And what do you get a car crazy newlywed couple for a wedding present?

A 1940 Ford coupe, of course.  As would be expected from someone as passionate about cars as Wirth, his professional endeavors also centered around automobiles. He went from a part-time tire changer to service manager for a large Goodyear store at the age of 20.  He went on to manage numerous transmission shops while simultaneously discovering the charm and challenge of scouring junkyards and garages for antique car parts.  Together with his wife, Wirth would drive to swap meets with a trailer filled with antique car parts.

In 1981, Wirth launched his own business, Wirth & Wirth Advertising—an automotive-only advertising company. His first real client was Kanter Auto Products. And while both companies have benefited from tremendous growth, they still enjoy a fruitful partnership.

After having established a reputation for offering effective marketing and advertising services in the automotive aftermarket, the Wirths launched a second business, producing their own automotive swap meet. The Springfield Swap Meet & Car Show has grown to become one of the largest in the Midwest. Wirth’s involvement with SEMA started when he attended the SEMA National Management Conference in Scottsdale, Arizona. Impressed with the way members worked together to address industry concerns, Wirth suggested to Harry Hibler that SEMA consider embracing the antique and restoration industry. Hibler introduced him to then-SEMA President Chuck Blum and, not long after, the Automotive Restoration Market Organization (ARMO) was created. To date, Wirth has served three terms on the SEMA Board of Directors.

The industry recognized Wirth for his hard work with numerous awards, including the SEMA Outstanding Achievement Award in 1993, the Hemmings Motor News Benefit the Hobby Award, also in 1993, and he was the first person ever inducted into the ARMO Hall of Fame. He was recognized as the number-one recruiter of new SEMA members in 1993 and was again recognized by ARMO with its Special Recognition Award in 2003. 

The Wirths continue to work together running both businesses and look forward to doing so for the foreseeable future.

Charlie Van Cleve’s reaction to being inducted into the SEMA Hall of Fame was typical of her humor: “The first thing I was going to do was to call SEMA and say that there’d been some sort of mistake,” she said. “I’m sure I’m not old enough to qualify.” In the case of Van Cleve, her accomplishments would certainly warrant the Hall of Fame committee waving the 40-year minimum age requirement.

Van Cleve got her start in the automotive aftermarket as an inside sales person at Hedman Hedders. Her ever-growing interest in specialty cars and all things performance related-—along with her affinity for the people in the business— compelled her to become even more involved in the industry.

Today, Van Cleve is the Vice President, Sales for Hedman Manufacturing. Her personal rise to prominence during her many years in the industry is matched only by the benefits and successes realized by the industry as a result of her efforts. Van Cleve’s accomplishments are far too numerous to include in the space allotted, so a highlight reel of sorts will have to suffice.

In 1984, Van Cleve was the first woman to receive the Performance Warehouse Association (PWA) Person of The Year award. A few years later, in 1989, she received the SEMA Person of the Year award. In 1999, Van Cleve was elected Chairman of the Board of Directors for SEMA—the first woman in the history of the organization to lead the association.

When she was honored as one of the Automotive News Top 100 Women in the Automotive Industry in 2000, she recalled both the PWA award and her being voted SEMA Chairman as being her proudest achievements. Referring to the PWA award, Van Cleve told Automotive News, “At that time it was a huge honor because there weren’t that many of us (women). That opened the door for me, brought positive attention to what I was doing.”

Van Cleve went on to say, “Then, the crowning glory was when I was voted Chairman of SEMA. Over the years, my peers have been mostly men. [These men] had a reputation for the ‘good old boy’ industry. It’s those good old boys who elected me and put me in office. Being the first woman to chair the board of directors for SEMA is a huge accomplishment for our industry and for myself personally.”

It was not uncommon for Van Cleve to put the industry before any of her personal accomplishments—as is reflected in her comments to Automotive News. While acknowledging herself as a beneficiary, she always put the industry first. As Chairman, she willingly dedicated the majority of her time to SEMA. She was determined to make sure the goals of the association and the needs of the members were met. After a year on the job, Van Cleve told SEMA Member News: “It’s far more difficult and much more time consuming than I thought it would be, but it’s well worth it.”

When pressed beyond the fact that she may not qualify for the Hall of Fame because she doesn’t meet the minimum age requirement, Van Cleve was clearly moved by the honor. “When I found out, I was really speechless,” she said. “I think of people like Isky and Edelbrock Sr. and the products they’ve produced—products that have made this industry possible.” After a long pause she added, “I totally feel not worthy.” Not worthy? Ms. Van Cleve, the industry obviously, and respectfully, disagrees.

There were really two Smokey Yunicks. The first was the stuff of legends.

Henry Yunick dropped out of school as a teenager to work on his family’s Pennsylvania farm after his father died. His nickname came from a track announcer commenting on the condition of his motorcycle during a 1941 race. He joined the Army Air Corps, flew bombers and fighters in World War II, and then returned from the war to open what was at first a tiny shop in Daytona Beach, Florida, “The Best Damn Garage in Town.”

It wasn’t just bluster. First in NASCAR, then at Indy, Yunick applied his prodigious mechanical talents to making fast cars and making cars go faster. The roster of men who drove for Yunick is a Who’s Who of racing champions, from Allison (Bobby) to Vukovich (Billy). He won two NASCAR Grand National Championships as a car owner and mechanic, and he won at Indy in 1960 as the co-chief mechanic for Jim Rathmann’s Offenhauser-powered roadster.

“Indy was his love,” said Jim McFarland, who was an editor at Hot Rod magazine when he began a 40-year friendship with Yunick in the ’60s. “He came out of NASCAR but gravitated to Indy since he wasn’t bound by all the rules. He could explore more things there. The technological challenges were something that intrigued him.”

Yunick’s speed secrets could be so ground-breaking—or difficult to discern—that some hung another nickname on him: cheater.

“I get offended when I hear that,” said Trish Yunick Brown, his daughter. “He maintained he didn’t cheat. What he did was innovation. As far as he was concerned, if it didn’t say what he was doing wasn’t allowed, then it was perfectly fair. Many things that weren’t in the rulebook on the weekend became rules on Monday morning, courtesy of Smokey.”

Yunick’s talents weren’t limited to the racetrack. Pontiac, Chevrolet and Ford were among the auto makers that benefited from either his hands-on engineering or consulting work. He is credited with developing, among other components, variable-ratio power steering, reverse-flow engine cooling and the extended-tip spark plug.

He was closely involved with the development of Chevy’s small-block V-8. According to McFarland, he “…pioneered a lot of thinking that builders of aftermarket parts picked up on. He came up with a cross-ram intake that Vic [Edelbrock] built later, did cylinder head work, pioneered things ostensibly for Chevrolet that wound up in various segments of the aftermarket.”

Racer safety was a big concern of Yunick’s as well. He stopped competing in NASCAR when the sanctioning body wouldn’t let him use a fuel bladder; and he designed a “safe wall” in the ’60s that would move on contact, absorbing some of a crash’s energy.

The Yunick of legend could be blunt, even ornery. “Cantankerous, that’s a good word for it,” Trish Yunick said. But then there are the stories about the other Smokey, the one who would open his garage in the middle of the night to help a fellow racer, even if he was a competitor. Or who, in his later years, found time for a family that had learned to live without him for long stretches, especially from late April to early June.

Trish told this story about her dad’s other side:

“Smokey and John DeLorean were friends. They worked at Pontiac at the same time. Smokey called John one morning, and John was going through his first very public divorce. They didn’t talk about the divorce, but Smokey knew he wasn’t in good shape. So he hung up the phone and flew to Detroit to check on him. They talked for a while, and Smokey felt better about John, so he flew home. John later said he was thinking about killing himself that night. Smokey did have a bad side, but he really was very human.”