Gale Banks (born August 23rd, 1942) is an American hot rodder,[1] drag racer, engineer, and entrepreneur[2] who grew up in Lynwood, California.
1966: Banks modifies a 1953 Studebaker and drives it to class records at El Mirage Dry Lake and the Bonneville Salt Flats with a top speed of 184.52 mph, as certified by the Southern California Timing Association.
1984: A street-legal Pontiac Trans Am with 700-hp and a Banks turbo breaks the 200 mph barrier and becomes a cover story for Car & Driver magazine.
1987: A Banks Power twin-turbo, 1800-hp Pontiac GTA sets a new "World's Fastest Passenger Car" speed record at Bonneville Salt Flats at 277 mph as certified by the Southern California Timing Association.
1992: A Banks Power-developed twin air intake and intercooler system results in a claimed 80-hp improvement on the factory-turbocharged Dodge Cummins engine.
Tests show that turbo-lag times decrease and throttle response improves when compared with factory turbochargers.
2002: A street-legal Dodge Dakota pick up truck built in the Banks Power shop with a 735-hp, 1300 lb-ft, 5.9 litre Cummins hauls its own trailer to Bonneville and sets the FIA record for "World's Fastest Pickup Truck" with a two-way average of 217 mph and one-way top speed of 222 mph.