Iskenderian At The Petersen
Honoring Ed "Isky" Iskenderian At The Petersen Automotive Museum
Ed Iskenderian’s name stands proudly with the legends and being able to celebrate his 100th birthday with him at the Petersen will be a very special event.
By Doug Stokes
Fri, Jul 2, 2021 11:58 AM PST
There’s really not a lot that I can add to the lore and legend of one of the true titans of the post-war Hot Rod movement. Ed Iskenderian’s name stands proudly with the legends and being able to celebrate his 100th birthday with him at the Petersen will be a very special event.
This event is special in many ways and is particularly appropriate to be held at the Petersen Automotive Museum which was conceived and founded by the guy who put Hot Rodding into print and into the hands of enthusiasts all over the World, Robert E. Petersen.
Petersen’s seminal “Hot Rod Magazine” (first published: January, 1948) popularized the sport and gave Ed Iskenderian a place to advertise his legendary camshafts in adverts that were as entertaining as they were boastful of the product (which, by the way worked “real good” some 70 years ago, and continue to work well today) they hawked.
I really recommend reading Matt Stone’s award-wining 2017 book “ISKY - Ed Iskenderian and the History of Hot Rodding” for an insider’s view of this rare centenarian’s remarkable life.
There have been many very special gatherings at the Petersen over the years, and this one may well be the most special one of them all. Celebrating this guy is something that just fits with the great LA car culture, we’ll see ya there!
More information on this event here.
The event on The Petersen's site.
About The Author
Doug has a long and wide-ranging history in the motoring business. He served five years as the Executive Director of the International Kart Federation, and was the PR guy for the Mickey Thompson's Off-Road Championship Gran Prix. He worked racing PR for both Honda and Suzuki and was a senior PR person on the first Los Angeles (Vintage) Grand Prix. He was also the first PR Manager for Perris Auto Speedway, and spent over 20 years as the VP of Communications at Irwindale Speedway. Stokes is the recipient of the American Autowriters and Broadcaster’s 2005 Chapman Award for Excellence in Public Relations and was honored in 2015 by the Motor Press Guild with their Dean Batchelor Lifetime Achievement Award. “… I’ve also been reviewing automobiles and books for over 20 years, and really enjoy my LA Car assignments.” he added.
