The History Of TCI Automotive

TCI® Automotive is one of the world's largest and most technologically advanced manufacturers of high-performance aftermarket drivetrain products. TCI specializes in products including entire transmission packages, transmission controllers, torque converters, shifters valve bodies, flexplates, and flywheels. Additionally, it stocks all the drivetrain tools, service kits, accessories, internals, and fluids to complete the job for racers and street enthusiasts.

TCI Automotive is a proud member of the Edelbrock Group™ family of brands, including Edelbrock®, FAST® (Fuel Air Spark Technology), TCI® Automotive, Russell® Performance and Lunati Power®. Headquartered in Olive Branch, Mississippi, with operations in Ashland, TCI remains an innovative American company focused on high-quality transmission products and superior customer support. We believe in the automotive lifestyle and continue to support the passion for our American pastime. For more information about the Edelbrock Group or any partner brands, visit www.edelbrockgroup.com.

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1961

HOW IT ALL BEGAN

You can’t talk about TCI® Automotive without speaking of the Memphis transmission company, Coleman-Taylor Transmissions, which also still exists today. In 1961, Larry Coleman was fresh out of engineering school at Christian Brothers College in Memphis and working at transmission shop. He didn’t like the ethics of the shop but believed he could make a good living doing the job honestly. He says, “I quit smoking and drinking, got married, and went into business all on the same weekend.” Coleman recruited his brother-in-law, Bill Taylor, to join him.

With Coleman’s emphasis on customer service and employee training, the business quickly gained a reputation for honest, quality service. Both Coleman and Taylor were drag racers when they weren’t working. Originally part of Coleman-Taylor, Torque Converters Inc (TCI) grew to service racers and performance enthusiasts who needed something better than stock.

1968

AMICABLE SPLIT

By 1968, it was obvious that TCI would need its own place. Coleman-Taylor had so much stock-replacement business that they could barely keep up. In a completely amicable split, Coleman bought Taylor’s interest in the stock transmission operation and Taylor kept TCI to concentrate on high-performance. The two remained friends and lived two doors apart.

1982

FIRST PURPOSE BUILT SHOP

TCI opened its first shop on Crump Boulevard in Memphis, where it concentrated on high-performance transmissions and torque converters. It remained there until 1982, when Bill moved the company to property he owned in Ashland, Mississippi, where its manufacturing facility still is today.

1999

SALE OF THE COMPANY

In 1990, Bill sold the company to Equion, an investment group. It was purchased again in 1994 by Fel-Pro. In 1998, Federal-Mogul purchased Fel-Pro, and TCI went along in the sale. Though it was profitable, TCI didn’t fit with Federal-Mogul’s huge portfolio, and it was sold to COMP Performance Group in 2001. TCI was acquired by Investment Opportunity Partners (IOP) in 2020 as part of the sale of COMP Performance Group.

TODAY

TCI AUTOMOTIVE TODAY

From its humble beginnings in Memphis, Tennessee, TCI® has grown to be one of the largest and most technologically advanced manufacturers of high-performance aftermarket drivetrain products in the world. TCI’s manufacturing and R&D facility is in Ashland, Mississippi. Its headquarters and distribution center are in Olive Branch, Mississippi, along with the Edelbrock Group family of brands that include Edelbrock LLC, COMP Cams, FAST - Fuel Air Spark Technology, Russell Performance and Lunati Power.