Video: Looking At The Interesting History Of Endyn’s Larry Widmer

Recently, we ran a release about Energy Dynamics partnering with Mast Motorsports, in order for Larry Widmer to continue to focus on what he loves most — designing amazing cylinder heads and race engines. However, Widmer’s story prior to the merger, and even before founding Endyn, is an incredibly interesting one.

On The Ground Designs recently released the first installment of its “Legends” series, showcasing Widmer. From discussing his first ride in a neighbor’s go-kart that set the go-fast hook deeply into Widmer soul, to rebuilding his first engine after that go-kart burned up which lit the fires of rebuilding engines, the short film offers a deep look into one of the most impressive cylinder head developers in modern times.

Engineering is in Widmer’s blood, with his father, Robert, working on a number of iconic warplanes. Starting on the design team for the Consolidated B-24 Liberator, Widmer’s father then headed up the Convair engineering group and designed the world’s first supersonic bomber, the B-58 Hustler, according to Widmer.

My love affair with four wheels killed [my father’s plans for me] — Larry Widmer

From there, Widmer’s father moved on to another radical design – the F-111 Aardvark. As the world’s first production variable-geometry wing aircraft, it was a ground-breaking aviation achievement. So uncommon innovation was an everyday part of young Larry’s life. While it was his father’s plan for Larry to follow in his footsteps in the aeronautical engineering world, Widmer had other plans.

“My love affair with four wheels killed [my father’s plans for me],” says Widmer of his decision to follow his heart and put his engineering skills to use in developing competition engine programs instead of airplanes. Focusing on airflow, Widmer became obsessed with making more power and improving engine programs.

His passion led him to work with a laundry list of legendary names that reads like a veritable who’s who of various automotive halls of fame. Widmer’s list of accolades is truly incredible and On The Ground Designs has done an amazing job of telling the story of Larry Widmer, who is a legend in his own right. This short documentary is worth a watch.

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Greg Acosta

Greg has spent nineteen years and counting in automotive publishing, with most of his work having a very technical focus. Always interested in how things work, he enjoys sharing his passion for automotive technology with the reader.
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