Roy Richter
Encyclopedia
Roy Richter was an early auto racer and the creator of Bell Helmets, and Cragar Equipment—performance and wheels—all sold through an auto parts company that he owned, Bell Auto Parts.
After graduating from high school in 1933, Richter started to work for George Wight as a pattern maker at Bell Auto Parts in Bell, California
, a suburb
of Los Angeles
. He took up auto racing, driving his friend's Model T. Richter built the Bell Special, a midget racecar he called "Betsy" that was built from parts found in Bell's junkyard. It was the first of many Richter-built racecars and the one he would attempt a short professional auto racing career with. From 1937 to 1941, Richter-built cars won numerous championships, hundreds of races and set countless track records in several racing divisions. Richter sold his car and invested his life savings of $1,000 in purchasing Bell Auto Parts on July 2, 1945.
Tragedy struck in 1946 when Roy's long-time friend, 'Swede' Lindskog was killed in a racing accident. It was Roy's second close friend to die while racing. After that incident, he committed himself to building safety and protective products. Bell Helmets was born.
In 1954, under the leadership of Richter, Bell began manufacturing its first helmet — the '500' — in a garage located behind Bell Auto Parts. In 1956, sales were above original projections and the Bell Helmet Company was formed as a division of Bell Auto Parts.
In 1955, Richter and Bell acquired the Cragar brand, later introducing the Cragar Equipment Company, today called Cragar Industries.
In 1964, under his Cragar company brand, Richter introduced the Cragar "S/S" Super Sport wheel, the most popular aftermarket and muscle car wheel ever made. It has since been used on thousands of cars, from show-quality custom hot rods to daily-driver classics.
In 1973, Richter was inducted into the Speed Equipment Manufacturers Association
(SEMA) Hall of Fame. When he retired in 1978, the 63-year-old was presented with a Yamaha
trials bike by his employees. Richter died on July 28, 1983.
Richter Hall at California Lutheran University
is named in his honor.
After graduating from high school in 1933, Richter started to work for George Wight as a pattern maker at Bell Auto Parts in Bell, California
Bell, California
Bell is a city in Los Angeles County, California. Its population was 35,477 at the 2010 census, down from 36,664 in the 2000 census. Bell is located on the west bank of the Los Angeles River and is a suburb of the city of Los Angeles...
, a suburb
Suburb
The word suburb mostly refers to a residential area, either existing as part of a city or as a separate residential community within commuting distance of a city . Some suburbs have a degree of administrative autonomy, and most have lower population density than inner city neighborhoods...
of Los Angeles
Los Ángeles
Los Ángeles is the capital of the province of Biobío, in the commune of the same name, in Region VIII , in the center-south of Chile. It is located between the Laja and Biobío rivers. The population is 123,445 inhabitants...
. He took up auto racing, driving his friend's Model T. Richter built the Bell Special, a midget racecar he called "Betsy" that was built from parts found in Bell's junkyard. It was the first of many Richter-built racecars and the one he would attempt a short professional auto racing career with. From 1937 to 1941, Richter-built cars won numerous championships, hundreds of races and set countless track records in several racing divisions. Richter sold his car and invested his life savings of $1,000 in purchasing Bell Auto Parts on July 2, 1945.
Tragedy struck in 1946 when Roy's long-time friend, 'Swede' Lindskog was killed in a racing accident. It was Roy's second close friend to die while racing. After that incident, he committed himself to building safety and protective products. Bell Helmets was born.
In 1954, under the leadership of Richter, Bell began manufacturing its first helmet — the '500' — in a garage located behind Bell Auto Parts. In 1956, sales were above original projections and the Bell Helmet Company was formed as a division of Bell Auto Parts.
In 1955, Richter and Bell acquired the Cragar brand, later introducing the Cragar Equipment Company, today called Cragar Industries.
In 1964, under his Cragar company brand, Richter introduced the Cragar "S/S" Super Sport wheel, the most popular aftermarket and muscle car wheel ever made. It has since been used on thousands of cars, from show-quality custom hot rods to daily-driver classics.
In 1973, Richter was inducted into the Speed Equipment Manufacturers Association
SEMA
Specialty Equipment Market Association of the automobile aftermarket was formed in 1963 by Roy Richter, Ed Iskenderian, Willie Garner, Bob Hedman, John Bartlett, Phil Weiand, Jr., Al Segal, Dean Moon, and Vic Edelbrock, Jr...
(SEMA) Hall of Fame. When he retired in 1978, the 63-year-old was presented with a Yamaha
Yamaha Motor Company
, is a Japanese motorized vehicle-producing company. Yamaha Motor is part of Yamaha Corporation and its headquarter is located in Iwata, Shizuoka. Along with expanding Yamaha Corporation into the world's biggest piano maker, then Yamaha CEO Genichi Kawakami took Yamaha into the field of motorized...
trials bike by his employees. Richter died on July 28, 1983.
Richter Hall at California Lutheran University
California Lutheran University
California Lutheran University is a university of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America located in Thousand Oaks, California.-Mission statement:The University's mission statement is as follows:...
is named in his honor.