The name that became synonymous with mechanical fuel injection may be put on the shelf for good.
Independent speed shops and hot-rodders across the country report that aftermarket giant Holley is shutting down the iconic Hilborn brand, the legendary performance parts company that pioneered mechanical fuel injection almost 80 years ago. Holley, which acquired Hilborn in 2019, hasn’t made a public-facing announcement, though it appears Hilborn is finished.
The Drive reached out to Holley but the company has yet to respond. Details of the apparent closure are few and far between.
The Hilborn name survived the 2019 acquisition, though its presence in the online marketplace has been fairly quiet over the last 18 months. The company’s Facebook page only posted a handful of times in 2023, with its latest share promoting a Holley company-wide holiday sale in December. There was also a new product announcement a few days before that showing off an LS3 EFI-R injector manifold and LS Gen IV valley cover kits.
Comments under that social media post indicate that Hilborn’s designs could live on, fortunately. One claims that Nick Smithberg of Smithberg Racing and Boss Fuel Injection purchased Hilborn inventory, with another related Facebook post mentioning him by name as well. Smithberg himself appeared in the comment section, simply acknowledging it by saying, “Checking in.” All this seemingly supports the news that Holley’s decision has been made.
Hilborn Fuel Injection
Stuart Hilborn almost singlehandedly established mechanical fuel injection as a mainstay in the American car aftermarket. He was introduced to hot-rodding in 1938, living in Southern California. Hilborn watched dry lake bed racers hit triple-digit speeds, which encouraged him to push for more. One of his streamliners even became the first to hit 150 miles per hour in 1948.
A later crash broke two of Hilborn’s vertebrae, ending his racing career. Still, his assemblies were a popular choice for dry lake bed runners, and before long, word spread to drag strips and oval tracks around the United States. No matter if it was a winged sprint car or an altered fuel quarter-mile machine, you knew when you saw the polished and flared velocity stacks springing up from each cylinder that Hilborn had a hand in making it go fast.
Mr. Hilborn passed away in 2013 at the age of 96. His company continued selling intake manifolds as well as mechanical and electronic fuel injection systems for different engine makes. Forum posts from 2019 show that hot rod community members were hopeful the Holley and Hilborn tie-up would be a boon.
At the time of publishing, Hilborn’s site displays a single page of results containing miscellaneous small-block Chevy upgrades.
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