

Jim had been battling complications of diabetes and heart disease for years but it wasn t enough to keep him away from doing what he loved. But, he did get a ride at near 200 mph in the SPD wheel drive roadster he had originally designed & built. Jim made his last trip to Bonneville in August of Unfortunately, it was after his death on June 28 th. They would eventually push the car to a one way top speed of 331 mph. The duo would go on to establish 4 world speed records in several classes and a land speed record of mph in their V6 Buick powered Hill & Hill streamliner. In 1982, Jim & Chris began building Land Speed cars to compete at SCTA/BNI & USFRA events. Jim enjoyed all forms of motorsports but, it only took one trip in 1957 to fall in love with the Bonneville Salt Flats. In 1999, SPD was incorporated and the leadership roll in the company passed to son Chris. SPD continues to grow, keeping a pace that will not jeopardize the standard of quality and service that our customers have become accustomed to. Through it all, the company has remained family owned and focused on the goal of providing quality products and services. The company has progressed from a regional, to national, and what is now an international supplier of specialty exhaust components. The investment in equipment, tooling and personnel were only the beginning of what is today s result a successful small manufacturing company. A History and Memorial Founder Jim Hill In 1992, after considerable thought, SPD embarked on a manufacturing course. The family s continued involvement in racing has helped keep them up to speed with the rapidly evolving technology. (cars, boats, motorcycles, even airplanes). Over many years, SPD has designed and built components and complete exhaust systems for all forms of motorsports. The two would establish a reputation in the area as the place to go if you wanted it done right. Later came the addition of Jim s son Chris who would become a partner in the business. The business would continue to grow thru his hard work and perseverance. Although SPD had begun as a moonlight business in 1969, Jim decided to continue with the name Specialty Products Design and renewed his self employment journey again. In 1976, Jim and his complete family moved to the Sacramento area. Twenty minutes from home each way, Jim enjoyed his new job and would successfully manage the manufacturing side of Torque Engineering until his big move north. Torque was a motorcycle exhaust manufacturing company. In 1973, after tiring of the commute from Van Nuys to Long Beach each day for nearly 5 years, Jim took a job in Northridge, CA with Torque Engineering. He successfully managed Saber and enjoyed the constant weekend trips to the races while working for Cragar and learning all he could about the exhaust industry. was the subsidiary that manufactured the old Cragar Hotpipes. In late 1968, Jim was offered a job managing a new division of Cragar Industries called Saber Manufacturing.
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Jim was very proud of his involvement in helping pioneer these now commonplace tools of today s movie & sporting events. He was also involved in the construction of the fi rst passenger cradle on a Helium blimp & aerial camera mounts used on helicopters to fi lm any event from the air. While working with Nelson Tyler, Jim was involved in the Rocket Belt project, as fl own in the opening ceremony of the 1984 LA Olympics. From late 1966 thru much of 1968, Jim worked for Tom Patterson Enterprises (of Patterson Oil Tanks) and Nelson Tyler Enterprises. The business was a success and helped him further his trade. In 1963, Jim opened Exhaust Engineering and began designing & building custom headers & exhaust systems for racers and enthusiasts in the area. In 1959, after marrying his wife Peggy, and settling in Van Nuys, CA, Jim began work in the exhaust industry installing muffl ers & exhaust systems for Sepulveda Muffl er in the San Fernando Valley. Jim Hill was a schooled engineer studying Mechanical Engineering at Cal Poly-San Luis Obispo.

2 The roots of SPD go back to the late 50 s and the booming Hot Rod industry in the Los Angeles area.
