10 seconds at the track. 10 years in business. Founded in 1997, Fidanza has engineered a decade of excellence in motorsports and commerce.
"In a word, extraordinary," said Bob Scheid, vice president. "We've grown from one part number to more than 700. Our building has been expanded twice to accommodate 20 full-time employees.
Ten years ago, we had three customers. Now more than 400 distributors in 28 countries sell our flywheels, clutches, cam gears, flex plates, short throw shifters, CV shafts and driveshafts."
In truth, Fidanza's lineage traces back more than 30 years to a little known race team from Eastlake, Ohio. In 1980, Gran Turismo Jaguar – directed by mechanical mastermind Lou Fidanza – overcame incredible odds to win the coveted SCCA C-Production National Championship.
With their purpose-built E-type Jaguar – famously known as Ole #19 – Fidanza and driver Freddy Baker dethroned the seemingly invincible Nissan (Datsun) team at Road Atlanta – severing Datsun's 10-year grip on the C-Production title.
Fidanza went on to help fellow Jaguar enthusiasts pursue their own checkered flag ambitions with specially engineered performance parts – including lightweight aluminum flywheels.
By 1997, demand for Fidanza's flywheels had reached a fever pitch, and the Fidanza Engineering Corporation emerged to carry on Gran Turismo Jaguar's proud heritage.
With ground-breaking new designs, the latest manufacturing technologies and the most advanced materials, Fidanza quickly established the lead in producing race-proven components for go-fast fanatics.
Today, Fidanza's sophisticated flywheels, clutches, cam gears, flex plates, short throw shifters, CV shafts and driveshafts allow a wide variety of vehicles to achieve excellence at the track and on the street.
Professional racers, including Robin Lawrence and Team Titan Motorsports, have succeed in National Mustang Racers Association (NMRA), International Hot Rod Association (IHRA), National Hot Rod Association (NHRA), NHRA Summit Sport Compact Drag Racing and NOPI Drag Racing Association (NDRA) competition using Fidanza parts.
The Fidanza brand is also well-recognized among aspiring performance enthusiasts. It is visible on many of the industry's trendsetting custom cars and is found on Electronic Arts, Inc.'s popular "Need for Speed™" video game.
Amazingly, Scheid notes Fidanza's greatest accomplishment had nothing to do with motorsports or product sales. In the summer of 2006, flood waters overwhelmed the company's Perry, Ohio, headquarters – leaving it accessible only by canoe. Every desk and computer had to be replaced. Paper files were washed away. Tools and equipment were utterly destroyed.
"The entire Fidanza crew came together and our customers supported us through the whole ordeal," Scheid recalled. "It's the most proud I've been in all our years. We were up and running in a few weeks. Now we're a stronger team than ever."
The spirit that spurred Fidanza's swift comeback is the same that has driven record sales in each consecutive year of the company's existence.
"We've also experienced double-digit growth nearly every year," noted Scheid. "With new twin-disc clutches for the Corvette and new Mustang driveshafts, we're poised for another great run, and another decade of engineering excellence."