Stuart Garfield Hilborn (9 October 1917 – 16 December 2013), was born in Calgary, Canada. Hilborn was an automotive engineer. He became interested in amateur racing on dry lake beds before
World War II
World War II or the Second World War (1 September 1939 – 2 September 1945) was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War II, Allies and the Axis powers. World War II by country, Nearly all of the wo ...
. After the war, he began experimenting with ideas for mechanical
fuel injection
Fuel injection is the introduction of fuel in an internal combustion engine, most commonly automotive engines, by the means of a fuel injector. This article focuses on fuel injection in reciprocating piston and Wankel rotary engines.
All c ...
, and tested them on his own race cars. Only a few years later, his injectors were adopted by professional racers with notable success, including the first to break the 150-mile-per-hour mark. Starting in 1949, Hilborn-equipped cars claimed dozens of victories at the Indianapolis circuit.
Hilborn eventually started a company to sell his injection systems to the public, which became popular with the
hot rod
Hot rods are typically American cars that might be old, classic, or modern and that have been rebuilt or modified with large engines optimized for speed and acceleration. One definition is: "a car that's been stripped down, souped up and ma ...
ders of the 1950s and 1960s. A classic mechanical Hilborn injection system is recognizable by its distinctive flared
velocity stack intake pipes, rising straight up from each cylinder, flared at the open top, and usually polished or plated for a bright, shiny finish. Hilborn died in
Aliso Viejo, California
Aliso Viejo (Spanish for "Old Sycamore") is a city in the San Joaquin Hills of southern Orange County, California. It had a population of 52,176 as of the 2020 census, up from 47,823 as of the 2010 census. It became Orange County's 34th city ...
on December 16, 2013. The Hilborn company was purchased by Holley in 2019.
Citing a shrinking market for mechanical fuel injection systems and parts, Holley announced in February of 2024 that they would cease production of Hilborn components.
Hilborn was inducted into the Specialty Equipment Market Association (SEMA) Hall of Fame, as well as the HOT ROD Magazine Speed Parts Hall of Fame for the first Mechanical Hydrogen Fuel Injection.
[https://www.thedrive.com/news/holley-is-ending-the-hilborn-brand-a-hot-rodding-icon-reports]
References
External links
Hilborn Injection
{{DEFAULTSORT:Hilborn, Stuart
People from Calgary
1917 births
2013 deaths
Automotive engineers
Canadian expatriates in the United States