Carl Kiekhaefer
| Carl Kiekhaefer | |
|---|---|
 |
|
| Born |
June 4, 1906 Mequon, Wisconsin |
| Died | October 5, 1983 (aged 77) |
| Employer | Kiekhaefer Marine |
| Series | NASCAR Grand National Series |
|---|---|
| Car numbers | 300, 300A, 300B, 300C, 301, 500, 500B |
| Race drivers |
Buck Baker Bob Flock Fonty Flock Tim Flock Speedy Thompson Herb Thomas |
| Sponsors | Mercury Marine |
| Manufacturer | Chrysler |
| Opened | 1955 |
| Closed | 1956 |
| Career | |
| Drivers' Championships | 2 (1955 and 1956) |
| Race victories | 52 (including 16 straight) |
Elmer Carl Kiekhaefer (June 4, 1906 – October 5, 1983) was the owner of Kiekhaefer Mercury (later Mercury Marine) and Kiekhaefer Aeromarine and also a two-time NASCAR championship car owner.
Kiekhaefer (pronounced KEY-kay-fur) was born on June 4, 1906, in Mequon, Wisconsin, to Arnold and Clara Wessel Kiekhaefer. After graduating from Cedarburg High School, Kiekhaefer spent one year attending the Milwaukee School of Engineering, and later took extension courses from the University of Wisconsin that prepared him for a career in electrical engineering.
In 1927 he briefly worked as a draftsman by Evinrude Motors before being fired for "...frequent, disquieting and brazenly insubordinate arguments concerning design and product development...".
He was a young engineer right out of college when he received his first of his over 200 patents. He purchased an outboard motor manufacturing company in Cedarburg, Wisconsin in 1939, intending to make magnetic separators for the area's dairy industry. The company had 300 defective motors, which he rebuilt and sold to catalog company Montgomery Ward. Orders kept coming for the motors, and Kiekhaefer Corporation was born.
During World War II the Kiekhaefer corporation manufactured small two-cylinder "Drone Motors" that were used for target Aircraft. Since there were no computer simulators during World War Two, actual small aircraft were used as target practice to teach Anti-Aircraft gunners how to shoot down planes. These small two-stroke engines were perfect for this role.
A full shot of the Kiekhaefer drone motor.
Kiekhaefer corporation tag.
Kiekhaefer decided to use car racing to promote his now profitable boat motor company. He entered 1954 Chrysler New Yorker club coupes in the AAA Milwaukee Mile and won all three races entered. Tony Bettenhausen and Frank Mundy drove. He then purchased large and powerful Chrysler 300s to use in NASCAR for the 1955 season. Kiekhaefer was a millionaire, so he could afford the expensive cars unlike the other teams. He bought the best equipment, and had a team, as well as transporters, unheard of in NASCAR at the time.
...
Wikipedia