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Gale Banks (born August 23rd, 1942) is an American hot rodder, [1] drag racer, engineer, and entrepreneur [2] who grew up in Lynwood, California. His company, Gale Banks Engineering, sells performance parts for automotive and marine engines. It specializes in diesel engines, and high end cutting-edge equipment, performance parts, and auxiliaries. [3] The company has approximately 100+ employees. [4]
1958: Gale Banks begins his career as a hot rodder by modifying the engine in his mother's car. He founds "C.P's Auto & Marine Racing Engines" as a way to fund his college expenses at Cal Poly, Pomona.
1966: Banks modifies a 1953 Studebaker and drives it to class records at El Mirage Dry Lake and the Bonneville Salt Flats with a top speed of 184.52 mph, as certified by the Southern California Timing Association.
1970: First Banks-branded turbo marine racing engine is built. Gale Banks Engineering and Banks Power engines win the American Power Boat Association (APBA) & NJBA (National Jet Boat Association) Jet Class national championship.
1974: The Banks/Brunette tunnel boat powered by a 398 cubic inch engine developed by Gale Banks Engineering and Banks Power wins the first of five consecutive APBA Endurance Tunnel Hull national championships.
1976: The "Crucifier", a race boat powered by a Banks fuel-injected nitro HEMI wins every event it enters, including the NDBA (National Drag Boat Association) and APBA nationals.
1978: Gale Banks Engineering is contracted by N.I.S.T.A. in the Department of Transportation to develop the power train for its Large Research Safety Vehicle (L.S.R.V.) program. When finished, it met proposed 1985 fuel and emission standards. This year also saw Banks develop the world's first electronically injected oxygen-sensing turbocharged engine for Volvo.
1981: Banks creates the high performance diesel aftermarket with his first turbocharger system developed for the 6.2 litre GM diesel. Also that year, a Banks-powered 450-hp twin-turbo Buick V-6 becomes the prototype for the Buick Grand National production car.
1982: The "Sundowner" Corvette, powered by a Banks twin-turbo big block, becomes the "World's Fastest Passenger Car" at 240 mph, taking the record away from the "Hanky Panky" Studebaker, which also used a Banks-developed twin-turbo power plant. This year also saw the Banks twin-turbo powered S-1 Express take an APBA world championship.
1984: A street-legal Pontiac Trans Am with 700-hp and a Banks turbo breaks the 200 mph barrier and becomes a cover story for Car & Driver magazine.
1987: A Banks Power twin-turbo, 1800-hp Pontiac GTA sets a new "World's Fastest Passenger Car" speed record at Bonneville Salt Flats at 277 mph as certified by the Southern California Timing Association. This record stood for the next ten years.
1988: Banks turbocharger systems become a GM dealer-specified option.
1992: A Banks Power-developed twin air intake and intercooler system results in a claimed 80-hp improvement on the factory-turbocharged Dodge Cummins engine.
1993: The Banks "Sidewinder" aftermarket turbocharger is introduced. Tests show that turbo-lag times decrease and throttle response improves when compared with factory turbochargers.
1994: Banks begins offering intercoolers to improve the performance of the Ford Power Stroke diesel. At this time, the Ford factory was not using intercoolers on their diesel-powered pickup trucks.
2002: A street-legal Dodge Dakota pick up truck built in the Banks Power shop with a 735-hp, 1300 lb-ft, 5.9 litre Cummins hauls its own trailer to Bonneville and sets the FIA record for "World's Fastest Pickup Truck" with a two-way average of 217 mph and one-way top speed of 222 mph.
2007: The Wes Anderson-driven Banks "Sidewinder" S-10 with a 1250-hp, 6.6 litre Banks Power/Duramax engine becomes the "World's Quickest and Fastest Diesel Drag Truck" with a 7.72 second elapsed time and a top speed of 179+ mph in the quarter-mile, as recorded by the National Hot Rod Diesel Association..
2009: Gale Banks receives a Distinguished Service Citation from the Automotive Hall of Fame
2010: On March 6, 2010, the Banks crew tested out the Top Diesel Dragster's new "Stroker" 427 cu. in., twin-turbo 7.0L Duramax engine at the NHRDA Nationals in Wittmann, Arizona. The Banks Sidewinder S-10 runs at NHRDA in Topeka, Kansas winning top diesel class with 7.77et @ 178 mph.
2011: Gale Banks builds world's first supercharged Top Diesel Dragster. Gale Banks teams up with Paul Dallenbach to race the Pikes Peak International Hill Climb.
2012: Banks and Dallenbach race at Pikes Peak.
2013: Banks and racer/stunt driver Mike Ryan team up to race at Pikes Peak in a Freightliner Cascadia.
In an internal combustion engine, a turbocharger is a forced induction device that is powered by the flow of exhaust gases. It uses this energy to compress the intake air, forcing more air into the engine in order to produce more power for a given displacement.
The Roots blower is a positive displacement lobe pump which operates by pumping a fluid with a pair of meshing lobes resembling a set of stretched gears. Fluid is trapped in pockets surrounding the lobes and carried from the intake side to the exhaust.
The Porsche 996 is the fifth generation of the 911 model sports car manufactured by the German automaker Porsche from 1997 until 2006. It was replaced by the 997 in 2004, but the high performance Turbo S, GT2 and GT3 variants remained in production until 2006. The 996 had little in common with its predecessor, with the first all new chassis platform since the original 911 and a new water-cooled engine. Technically, it was a major change, a complete break from the original car other than the overall layout.
Brabus GmbH is a German high-performance automotive aftermarket tuning company founded in 1977 in Bottrop. Brabus specialises mainly in Mercedes-Benz, Maybach and Smart vehicles. They have also modified other vehicles too, including Porsche.
Power Stroke, also known as Powerstroke or PowerStroke, is the name used by a family of diesel engines for trucks produced by Ford Motor Company and Navistar International for Ford products since 1994. Along with its use in the Ford F-Series, applications include the Ford E-Series, Ford Excursion, and Ford LCF commercial truck. The name was also used for a diesel engine used in South American production of the Ford Ranger.
The Toyota JZ engine family is a series of inline-6 automobile engines produced by Toyota Motor Corporation. As a replacement for the M-series inline-6 engines, the JZ engines were 24-valve DOHC engines in 2.5- and 3.0-litre versions.
The AJD is a family of V6 and V8 turbodiesel engines with a clean-sheet architecture and variable valve timing developed by Ford of Europe for its then-subsidiaries Jaguar and Land Rover, as well as for its partner PSA Group working under the Gemini joint development and production agreement. It is called the AJD-V6 in the Jaguar and Land Rover vehicles and the DT17/DT20 by Citroën and Peugeot. The engines share the same bore/stroke ratio, with the V6 version displacing 2.7 L (2,720 cc) and the V8 version displacing 3.6 L (3,630 cc). The V6 and the V8 were launched in 2004 and 2006 respectively. The V6 engine meets the Euro IV emissions standards. A DT20 3.0 L (2,993 cc) was added in 2009 and is based on the DT17 2.7 L (2,720 cc). The V6 is used across many vehicles, from the Citroën C5 and C6, to the Land Rover Discovery, Range Rover, multiple cars in the Jaguar range, and also the Ford Territory and next gen Ford Ranger.
The Mercedes-Benz M275 engine is a twin-turbocharged and intercooled, all-aluminium, 60° V12 automobile piston engine family used in the 2000s to the 2010s. It is loosely based on the M137 naturally aspirated V12 sold between 1998 and 2002, and retains its SOHC, 3 valves per cylinder, twin-spark ignition layout, but differs with the addition of structural reinforcements to the engine block for improved rigidity which in turn yields greater reliability. The M275 V12 Bi-Turbo engine was modified with the addition of larger turbochargers. Several variations of the M275 V12 Bi-turbo engine have powered many top-of-the-range Mercedes-Benz and Maybach models since 2003.
Alpina Burkard Bovensiepen GmbH & Co. KG is an automobile manufacturing company based in Buchloe, in the Ostallgäu district of Bavaria, Germany that develops and sells high-performance versions of BMW cars. Alpina works closely with BMW and their processes are integrated into BMW's production lines, and is recognized by the German Ministry of Transport as an automobile manufacturer, in contrast to other performance specialists, which are aftermarket tuners. The Alpina B7 is produced at the same assembly line in Dingolfing, Germany, as BMW's own 7 Series. The B7's twin-turbo 4.4-litre V8 is assembled by hand at Alpina's facility in Buchloe, Germany, before being shipped to BMW for installation, and the assembled vehicle is then sent back to Alpina for finishing touches.
The Maserati Biturbo is a family of executive grand tourers produced by Italian automobile manufacturer Maserati between 1981 and 1994. The original Biturbo was a two-door, four-seater notchback coupé featuring, as the name implies, a two-litre V6 engine with two turbochargers and a luxurious interior.
The Ruf CTR2 is a 2-door sports car built by German automobile manufacturer Ruf Automobile from 1995 to 1997 as the successor to the CTR Yellowbird, but based on Porsche's Type 993 generation 911.
The Ruf CTR also known as the CTR Yellowbird or simply Yellowbird, is a limited-production, high performance sports car manufactured by German automobile manufacturer Ruf Automobile. Introduced for the 1987 model year and based on the Porsche 911, the CTR featured an enlarged and highly tuned version of Porsche's 3.2 litre flat-six cylinder engine, lightened body panels, an integrated roll cage, upgraded suspension and braking systems, a custom-designed transmission, and several unique trim pieces such as polyurethane bumpers, and the use of the side-mounted oil filler necessitated by relocating the oil tank forward to clear the intercooler on that side.
The term turbo-diesel, also written as turbodiesel and turbo diesel, refers to any diesel engine equipped with a turbocharger. As with other engine types, turbocharging a diesel engine can significantly increase its efficiency and power output, especially when used in combination with an intercooler.
Callaway Cars Inc. is an American specialty vehicle manufacturer and engineering company that designs, develops, and manufactures high-performance product packages for cars, pickup trucks, and SUVs. They specialize in Corvettes and GM vehicles. New GM vehicles are delivered to Callaway facilities where these special packages and components are installed. Then the vehicles are delivered to GM new car dealers where they are sold to retail customers, branded as Callaway. Callaway Cars is one of four core Callaway companies, including Callaway Engineering, Callaway Carbon and Callaway Competition.
The Ruf BTR is a sports car built by German automobile manufacturer Ruf Automobile. The BTR began production in 1983 and was based on the Porsche 911 available in a narrow 911 or optional wide body configuration akin to the 930 Turbo. The BTR was the first Ruf production sports car with a company specific VIN.
Gale Banks Engineering and its four divisions, Banks Power, Banks Technology, Banks Marine, and Banks Racing, are companies created by Southern California hot rodder and automobile engineer Gale Banks. These companies design, engineer, and build high performance parts for the automobile and marine aftermarket and military customers. Located in Azusa, California, the company develops technology and components for both gasoline and diesel-powered vehicles, but is best known for advancing development of the turbocharger and ultra high performance diesel engines for racing and street purposes.
The Banks Sidewinder is a land speed record vehicle that was built by Gale Banks Engineering in 2001. Based on a Dodge Dakota pickup truck, the Banks Sidewinder became the fastest pickup ever when it set a speed record of 213.583 mph (343.729 km/h) at Bonneville in October 2001.
The trucks of the Mercedes-Benz series Schwere Klasse were produced from 1989 through 1998, when they were succeeded by the Mercedes-Benz Actros. The Mercedes Benz SK, in essence is basically a revamped Mercedes-Benz NG chassis with a few added driver comforts and electronic assistance and diagnosis. Therefore, it is a much more comfortable ride than its predecessor. There are at least two versions of Mercedes Benz SK that got licensed manufacturing by other companies.
The Alpina B4 and Alpina D4 are high-performance compact executive cars manufactured by the German automobile manufacturer, Alpina. Based on the BMW 4 Series, the B4 and D4 are manufactured in coupé and convertible body styles. The first generation B4 and D4 were launched in 2014 and the more powerful B4 S was launched in 2017.
The Alpina B5 and D5 (F10) are a series of high performance executive cars manufactured by German automobile manufacturer Alpina from 2011 to 2016. Introduced at the 2010 Goodwood Festival of Speed, the car is the second generation of the B5 and succeeds the B5 (E60). Based on the BMW 5 Series (F10), the car was available in saloon and wagon bodystyles.