1906-1925
Joining Forces with Ford
The success that followed the debut of their first original carburetor prompted brothers George and
Earl Holley to move their headquarters from Bradford, Pennsylvania, to the car capital, Detroit.
In 1907, the first Holley plant in Detroit opened on Rowena Street.
That year proved important to Holley history in another way. A 6-cylinder car, equipped with a
Holley Magneto, won a 24-hour road race without
a whimper. Thus, began Holley's association with race cars that win.
Following their move to Detroit, the Holleys also started a plant to manufacture a kerosene carburetor for Henry Ford's tractors. No fool in business matters, Ford
offered in 1917 to buy the "plant that makes the car carburetor." And so, the Holley Brothers Company
became part of the Ford Motor Company, and George and Earl reorganized under the new name Holley Kerosene Carburetor Company. They
also opened a foundry on Vancouver. During this period in their history, Holley supplied carburetors to Chevrolet and Ford, as
well as International Harvester. World War I quickly followed, and Holley supported the war effort with shipments of
carburetors, ignition equipment, and brass heads for 75mm shells. In January 1918, realizing their future was tied to the gasoline carburetor, the
Holley brothers once again changed their company's name; this time to the Holley Carburetor Company so as not to be associated solely with the
manufacture of kerosene motors.
Early on, Holley's biggest selling carburetor was the Model NH. It was lighter and
cost less to produce than the then popular brass carburetor. Millions of Model NH
carburetors have passed through Holley's factory doors.
Then, in 1920, Holley revolutionized carburetor manufacturing with the development of permanent mold castings.
Joining Forces with Ford
1906-1925
