Gale’s Birthday – 80 Legendary Years!

Adding to Gale’s massive list of achievements, the godfather of turbocharging recently celebrated his 80th birthday! Check out this quick video of his surprise party where employees, friends, and family honored one of America’s automotive innovators.

We yanked Gale out of a product-planning meeting for a surprise birthday party. The celebration included a live band, Afters Ice Cream, and fun party favors like the Gale air freshener below.

KJ Jones stopped by to celebrate Gale’s birthday. Retired Chief Designer at Banks Bob Rowe also made an appearance for the major milestone. Guests played Gale-themed trivia as one of the many festivities.

Gale Banks is the company’s founder and has a long list of achievements in the automotive industry. One of Gale’s first monumental achievements was the Geisler-Banks 1953 Studebaker. A vehicle that Gale ran with Bruce Geisler multiple times with several different engine configurations. In 1978, Banks built a 955-hp twin-turbocharged, 304 ci small-block Chevy engine that helped propel the vintage car driven by Gary Vail to 217 mph at Bonneville, making the Studebaker the world’s fastest, stock-bodied passenger vehicle on gasoline.

There’s no telling what Gale will do next! We hope you enjoyed the video. Here’s to 80 more years! Happy Birthday, Gale.