Performance auto entrepreneur Ely Reeves Callaway III died July 11 after sustaining injuries in a fall. The Callaway Cars and CEO was 75.
Callaway founded Callaway Cars in 1977 in his garage in Old Lyme, Conn. A former Formula Vee champion driver, Callaway learned engine building, chassis tuning and component fabrication while dreaming of becoming a professional race car driver. After running out of funds to keep racing, he put those skills to work building prototype turbocharger systems on a car borrowed from a driving school where he was working.
His first product success was an aftermarket turbo kit for BMW. The company’s designs went on to deliver for Alfa Romeo, Aston Martin, Land Rover, Mazda and General Motors.
“Reeves always strived to make the finest vehicles and products, and then improve them. His support of our customers, partners, and team members was unwavering,” COO Mike Zoner said in a statement. “We shall carry his vision and mission forward and continue to grow the company he founded and built into innovative future products that he would applaud as we honor his legacy.”
The company’s work for Corvette earned it a Specialty Vehicle Manufacturer designation and led to a world record in 1989, when Callaway Cars’ Twin Turbo Corvette hit 254.76 mph, setting a production-car top speed record that wasn’t beaten until 2010.
Callaway was also a longtime board member for aerospace and defense company Kaman Corp. and a founding adviser to a hydrogen-powered aircraft startup supported by NASA and the Air Force.