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Key moments and achievements from Ed Iskenderian's life.
Ed was born
· Los Angeles, California, U.S.
Career Milestone
As a Los Angeles teenager in the 1930s and early 1940s, Ed Iskenderian built a roadster from a used Ford Model T and raced with friends on dry lake beds in the Mojave Desert at speeds that eventually reached 120 mph. These early racing experiences ignited his lifelong passion for engine performance.
Career Milestone
As a Los Angeles teenager in the 1930s and early 1940s, Ed Iskenderian built a roadster from a used Ford Model T and raced with friends on dry lake beds in the Mojave Desert at speeds that eventually reached 120 mph. These early racing experiences ignited his lifelong passion for engine performance.
Career Milestone
When forced to wait five months for a new camshaft, Iskenderian decided to grind his own using a homebuilt grinder adapted from a cylindrical grinder. In 1946, he launched Iskenderian Racing Cams from a single cam grinding machine he designed and built himself, eventually growing it into a massive international supplier.
Career Milestone
When forced to wait five months for a new camshaft, Iskenderian decided to grind his own using a homebuilt grinder adapted from a cylindrical grinder. In 1946, he launched Iskenderian Racing Cams from a single cam grinding machine he designed and built himself, eventually growing it into a massive international supplier.
Career Achievement
Iskenderian sponsored and supplied his camshaft technology to racing icons including Don Garlits and Mickey Thompson. His cams powered some of the fastest and most successful drag racing and land speed vehicles in automotive history.
Career Achievement
Iskenderian sponsored and supplied his camshaft technology to racing icons including Don Garlits and Mickey Thompson. His cams powered some of the fastest and most successful drag racing and land speed vehicles in automotive history.
Leadership Role
Iskenderian served as the first president of SEMA (Specialty Equipment Market Association), helping to unite the aftermarket automotive industry and giving racers, builders, and manufacturers a national stage. His leadership helped establish the organizational framework for the entire performance parts industry.
Leadership Role
Iskenderian served as the first president of SEMA (Specialty Equipment Market Association), helping to unite the aftermarket automotive industry and giving racers, builders, and manufacturers a national stage. His leadership helped establish the organizational framework for the entire performance parts industry.
Won Award
Iskenderian was inducted into the Engine Builder Hall of Fame in recognition of his transformative contributions to engine technology and the performance aftermarket industry. His legacy as the Camfather of hot rodding encompasses over seven decades of innovation in camshaft design and manufacturing.
Won Award
Iskenderian was inducted into the Engine Builder Hall of Fame in recognition of his transformative contributions to engine technology and the performance aftermarket industry. His legacy as the Camfather of hot rodding encompasses over seven decades of innovation in camshaft design and manufacturing.
Ed Iskenderian founded Isky Racing Cams in Culver City, California, in 1946, and by the early 1960s — around 1963 — became one of the first engineers in the performance automotive industry to apply computers to camshaft design, advertising the method as 'IBM electronic computed calculations' in his trade magazine ads. In the mid-1950s his engineers had already employed the Polydyne formula with early computing tools to develop a revolutionary camshaft lobe profile that combined polynomial mathematics with valve-train dynamics, reducing noise and vibration while increasing horsepower. The pioneering use of computer-aided design enabled precise profiling of valve timing and lift across broader power bands and produced landmark products including the 5-Cycle cam and the Polydyne Profile 505 Magnum. Iskenderian, often called the 'Camfather' of hot rodding, died on February 4, 2026, at the age of 104.
Ed Iskenderian founded Isky Racing Cams in Culver City, California, in 1946, and by the early 1960s — around 1963 — became one of the first engineers in the performance automotive industry to apply computers to camshaft design, advertising the method as 'IBM electronic computed calculations' in his trade magazine ads. In the mid-1950s his engineers had already employed the Polydyne formula with early computing tools to develop a revolutionary camshaft lobe profile that combined polynomial mathematics with valve-train dynamics, reducing noise and vibration while increasing horsepower. The pioneering use of computer-aided design enabled precise profiling of valve timing and lift across broader power bands and produced landmark products including the 5-Cycle cam and the Polydyne Profile 505 Magnum. Iskenderian, often called the 'Camfather' of hot rodding, died on February 4, 2026, at the age of 104.
Ed Iskenderian passed away
