The Founding of SEMA

By Bill Neumann

 

Since that first meeting which kicked off the founding of SEMA in 1963, there are only a few of us left who were there. So before this history is forgotten, I’d like to tell everyone how SEMA came to be and honor some of the folks involved who often get left out of these stories.

I became editor of Rod & Custom (R&C) magazine in 1961 and began running articles each month on model car building to pre-teen drivers (I have always been a mentor to teens) to interest them in hot rodding, mechanics and engineering. Monthly articles about using plastic model car kits to build replicas of famous hot rods, customs and race cars became an immensely popular series over the years. Even adult hot rodders took to the model building series, and sales of R&C soared.

Revell, Monogram and AMT were the main plastic scale model kit manufacturers at that time. Competition was fierce to bring out new kits each month with evermore detailing, and extra parts for customization. I knew all the top people at these companies, and consulted with them on kits to make and details to include. In R&C we showed how to make finely detailed copies of famous hot rods, customs and race cars including paint and pin striping, but the one thing that eluded us were scale decals from the speed equipment companies, which everyone wanted.

I knew most of speed equipment company owners, so I suggested a plan to increase their advertising for free by allowing the model kit companies to reproduce their decals and include them in their kits. It went over big. Model kit manufacturers made all the scale decals, and speed equipment manufacturers got lots of free advertising, promoting their companies and products to future drivers and car builders. It all came together.

Also, during that time, I became very good friends with Henry Blankfort, Vice President of Revell. At a conversation over lunch, he told me about the Hobby Industry Association (HIA) that Revell belonged to, and their annual trade show, which I subsequently attended many times.

The HIA group produced public relations and advertising about the benefits of having a hobby. And as an entity, they lobbied for or against laws (like glue sniffing, at the time), using a law firm to fight frivolous laws suits, and special insurance rates for their businesses.

Henry asked me if the speed equipment companies had an industry organization like the HIA. I said, “To my knowledge, no.” But I agreed to ask the speed equipment company owners because it was a good idea. The next day I called several, and the answer was “No industry organization.” Everyone was on their own in running their business. But one person, Ells Lohn, owner of Eelco was very interested in what I had to tell him, and he asked if Henry and I would come to his office and give a presentation after work to him and four or five other company owners that he would get together. “Yes, we would.”

That was the start! Everyone at this meeting was very impressed with our presentation and asked if we could do it again.

At the next meeting, Ells got together about twenty other speed equipment company owners, and we gave another in Ells’ warehouse. The presentation was enthusiastically received, and it was voted that we would proceed with the next steps in forming an official industry organization.

Ells asked for name suggestions, and I said, “Speed Equipment Manufacturers Association.” It was immediately approved by everyone – SEMA was born.

Ed Iskenderian was elected president, and this small group of speed equipment company owners took it to the next steps to form an official organization – lots of paperwork to do. Our work was done. I had a magazine to publish and Henry had to get on with his VP job at Revell. We left it up to this fine group, and they did a great job.

So that’s the real story! There aren’t too many of us old-timers left. Henry and I have never been recognized for our ideas, inspiration and contribution in starting SEMA. You would have thought Henry and I would have been the first inductees into the SEMA Hall of Fame. Unfortunately, Henry passed on in 1993 so will not be around for any honor. So, I would like to honor Henry Blankfort by telling people about his professional career. He was a film screen writer and producer, and later became director of the Hollywood Theater Alliance, where he co-wrote its Meet the People. He wrote or co-wrote 25-screenplays; including Tales of Manhattan, Double Exposure and many more. During WWII, Henry made military films for the Army Signal Corps. After Revell, Henry formed the Blankfort Group, a public relations firm specializing in education, and served as an unpaid consultant to the Los Angeles Unified School District.

After R&C, Henry introduced me to the editors of G.P. Putnam’s Sons, NY book publishers and I wrote several books for them; a series called: Here Is Your Hobby… Model Car Building, Here Is Your Hobby… Slot Car Racing, and co-wrote Here Is Your Hobby… Car Customizing, with Ed “Big Daddy” Roth, Mickey Thompson and Tom MacPherson.   

So, here I would like to say publically: Thanks, Henry, for your inspiration to me and help in founding SEMA!

I still work every day in my present capacity, Founder and CEO of Automotive Performance Systems, Inc. (APS) and its NEUSPEED® division manufacturing suspension, performance and appearance parts for Volkswagen, Audi, BMW Mini, Honda and now Fiat – our latest endeavor. We are in our 38th successful year. Visit us at www.neuspeed.com  and  www.nm-eng.com. I am still mentoring young people with internships, inspiring and encouraging them with my book: YOU CAN DO IT! In a job or your own business make your life a success.

On the side, I still love hot rodding from my early days in 1950 to today. It’s a great creative hobby, and you can see my two current 1932 Fords – the roadster and 5-window coupe that I just finished about a year ago here on Hot Rod Hotline. I don’t do body work, paint or upholstery any more, but I assembled everything and finished and detailed each part to perfection.

Bill Neumann's '32 Fords

Also check out the build articles on Bill's '32 Fords here on Hotrodhotline.com  Click Here