Ed Donovan (1928–1989), commonly called "The Mole" (or "Pachy"), was an American racing engine and parts builder. Donovan developed the first all-aluminum- block

hemi Hemi may refer to: People Surname * Jack Hemi (1914–1996), New Zealand freezing worker, rugby union and league player, shearer * Ronald Hemi (1933–2000), New Zealand rugby union player Given name * Hemi Bawa, Indian painter and sculptor * H ...

designed specifically for

Top Fuel Top Fuel is a type of drag racing whose dragsters are the quickest accelerating racing cars in the world and the fastest sanctioned category of drag racing, with the fastest competitors reaching speeds of and finishing the runs in 3.62 seconds ...

drag racing Drag racing is a type of motor racing in which automobiles or motorcycles compete, usually two at a time, to be first to cross a set finish line. The race follows a short, straight course from a standing start over a measured distance, most c ...

. He was posthumously inducted into the

Motorsports Hall of Fame of America The Motorsports Hall of Fame of America (MSHFA) is hall of fame that honors motorsports competitors and contributors from the United States from all disciplines, with categories for Open Wheel, Stock Cars, Powerboats, Drag Racing, Motorcycles, Sp ...

in 2003.

Early life

Ed Donovan was born 1928 in

Los Angeles Los Angeles ( ; es, Los Ángeles, link=no , ), often referred to by its initials L.A., is the largest city in the state of California and the second most populous city in the United States after New York City, as well as one of the world' ...

. He was fascinated with engines from an early age. While working for

Offenhauser The Offenhauser Racing Engine, or Offy, is a racing engine design that dominated American open wheel racing for more than 50 years and is still popular among vintage sprint and midget car racers. History The Offenhauser engine, familiarly ...

, Donovan became involved in

, before branching out on his own.

Engine builder

Donovan's company,

Donovan Engineering Donovan Phillips Leitch (born 10 May 1946), known mononymously as Donovan, is a Scottish musician, songwriter, and record producer. He developed an eclectic and distinctive style that blended folk, jazz, pop, psychedelic rock and world music ...

, was started in 1957. He supplied top racers, including "Dyno Don" Nicholson. Donovan, along with Leo Goossen, built the first two-disk racing clutch, the first titanium valves (for which Nicholson was his first customer), and other gear. In 1964, he built the "vaunted" '' Donovan Engineering Special'', hiring Tom McEwen (who Donovan nicknamed "Mongoose") to drive it. Donovan is best known for his hemi, introduced in 1971. He copied the Chrysler , which he admired, but tried to eliminate its flaws. He developed the aluminum hemi to overcome the tendency of

Chrysler Stellantis North America (officially FCA US and formerly Chrysler ()) is one of the " Big Three" automobile manufacturers in the United States, headquartered in Auburn Hills, Michigan. It is the American subsidiary of the multinational automoti ...

s, then used by Top Fuel racers (many of them friends and customers of his), to crack their iron blocks. The first driver to use the Donovan hemi (fresh out of the milling machine) was "Kansas John" Wiebe, at the

1971 NHRA Super Nationals * The year 1971 had three partial solar eclipses (February 25, July 22 and August 20) and two total lunar eclipses (February 10, and August 6). The world population increased by 2.1% this year, the highest increase in history. Events Ja ...

, where Wiebe very nearly won Top Fuel. In 1977, Donovan persuaded "Big Daddy" Don Garlits to switch from the

426 hemi The Chrysler Hemi engines, known by the trademark Hemi, are a series of American V8 gasoline engines built by Chrysler with overhead valve hemispherical combustion chambers. Three different types of Hemi engines have been built by Chrysler f ...

he had been using for the last thirteen years to the , offering (in Garlits' words) “an engine deal I couldn't refuse”. Donovan also built the only aluminum-block aftermarket copy of the

small-block The Chevrolet small-block engine is a series of gasoline-powered, V-8 automobile engines, produced by the Chevrolet division of General Motors between 1954 and 2003, using the same basic engine block. Referred to as a "small-block" for its size ...

Chevy to successfully finish the

Indianapolis 500 The Indianapolis 500, formally known as the Indianapolis 500-Mile Race, and commonly called the Indy 500, is an annual automobile race held at Indianapolis Motor Speedway (IMS) in Speedway, Indiana, United States, an enclave suburb of Indi ...

. He also copied the and big-blocks. Donovan made little money on his developments, despite the fact the aluminum hemi becoming the effective standard drag racing engine for a generation.

Personal life

Donovan was famously generous, always paying restaurant bills, and was willing to give his employees ("his boys") even the very shirt off his back. He also demonstrated fierce loyalty. In addition, he was a music lover, '' gourmet chef'', and wine '' connoisseur'' of fine wine. His sense of humor was quirky; he once claimed to hate the name Joe, listing examples such as Paisano, Hrudka, and Mondello. Donovan was 61 when he died, of cancer. He was posthumously inducted into the

in 2003.Motorsports Hall of Fame of America
website (retrieved 24 November 2018)

Notes

Sources

*Obituary. ''Hot Rod'', September 1989, pp. 132–133.

External links

NHRA.com
(

Don Garlits Donald Glenn Garlits (born January 14, 1932, Tampa, Florida) is an American race car driver and automotive engineer. Considered the father of drag racing, he is known as "Big Daddy" to drag racing fans around the world. A pioneer in the field o ...

using the Donovan hemi)
NHRA.com
( Mike Dunn using the Donovan hemi)
Donovan Engines
website
Jalopy Journal
discussion of the Donovan {{DEFAULTSORT:Donovan, Ed Dragster drivers American automotive engineers 20th-century American businesspeople American racing drivers 1928 births 1989 deaths American automotive pioneers Deaths from cancer in the United States People from Los Angeles