Trust Your Mothers® A Company that Shares Your Passion for Cool Cars

It started over 30 years ago with a little tin of polish. The label was a simple business card strapped around a small metal container with a rubber band. And, although the packaging may have looked a bit plain, inside was a very special compound.

In the early '70s, Al Holloway, owner of a Southern California tire store chain, realized he needed a way to shine the then-new mag wheels. After some careful experimentation by a chemist he knew, they arrived at the right formula. Al and partner Jack Hampton met at a coffee shop to talk about the new Mag & Aluminum Polish, and the two came up with a brand name that, yes, they wrote down on a paper napkin: Mothers® (we'll explain why later).

From there, they began attending car shows to demonstrate the product's effectiveness. Despite its unassuming label, word of the wheel polish with the unusual name sped through the grapevine. The little tin with the business card label began to develop a loyal following of car enthusiasts who wanted to keep that "like-new" shine on their mag wheels and aluminum parts. As with so many novel products embraced by the car-enthusiast fraternity, soon all the car guys "in the know" took a shine to using Mothers® Mag & Aluminum Polish on their wheels.

Today, after years of extensive testing and experimentation, the Mothers® line has grown from that single item to a comprehensive line of more than 40 different car care products. Aiding this phenomenal growth are those same word-of-mouth recommendations by generations of fellow car enthusiasts. Mothers® Marketing Director, Ken Holland explains, "That's because we stay close to our roots by building, modifying and maintaining an impressive array of hot rods, musclecars, street rods and high-performance imports. The Mothers® family lives and breathes cool cars."

The Mothers® collection of cars is not just a display of "trailer queens" either. These radical rides regularly participate in a variety of events, such as the Super Chevy venues and the Import Auto Tour. Perhaps most impressive is Mothers®' enduring and enthusiastic support of the daunting Hot Rod Power Tour, an annual cross-country caravan of the nation's hottest rides. In a 2002 tribute issue to Gray Baskerville, an icon to hot rodders everywhere, Hot Rod Magazine spotlighted the Mothers® car collection with a special foldout featuring the company's '59 Chevy Sedan Delivery, '67 Olds 442, '66 Vista Cruiser, and '63 Nova SS convertible -- all Power Tour "long haul" veterans.

Another hardy veteran of the Power Tour is Mothers' Forrest Tosie, who has made the "The Long Haul" for all twelve years it's been held. He's well known for his colorful commentary and photos uploaded daily to the Mothers® web site, even when running on only a few hours of sleep.

Reflecting the sentiments of Mothers® in sharing this automotive adventure with fellow hot rodders, here's what Tosie had to say at the end of the 2002 tour: "Tomorrow should be a great day -- we get to sleep late and walk the show, seeing all the cars and folks who have been kind to us through all the miles. I can't wait. It may be the end of the road, but I assure you the joy is not in the destination, but rather the journey." Just what you'd expect from a dedicated hot rodder.

In addition to hanging out with hot rodders, the Mothers® staff likes to officially recognize achievements in the area of automotive excellence with its annual Shine Award. Rendered and forged in solid bronze by renown automotive sculptor Steve Posson, this trophy honors uncompromising excellence in vehicle design. Impartial third-party judges select the winner -- and the award is presented at the automotive industry's annual SEMA (Specialty Equipment Market Association) in Las Vegas.

Throughout its 30-plus years as a leading producer of premium-quality car care products, the team at Mothers® has repeatedly proved their company is about doing, not just watching. In 2010, Mothers® continues that tradition as company executives Jim and Dennis Holloway once again join Robert Davis Racing to campaign four Mazda RX-8s in the National Auto Sports Association (NASA) Performance Touring class where it hopes to capture three national titles.

"It solidifies the fact that we are car guys," says Dennis regarding Mothers® involvement in motorsports. "We like to get in the trenches. We like to lay on our back and change oil. We're out there doing it."

Having supported grassroots automobile enthusiasts from the beginning, Mothers® is hitting the highway in style to take their show on the road with 18 rolling wheels under their feet in the new Mothers® big rig. Like the products it was made to represent, the Mothers® big rig is cut from only the finest stock. Led by a Peterbilt Model 387 linked to a 53-foot Featherlite trailer, it is powered by a Cummins ISX diesel engine that generates 525 horsepower at 1700 rpm and 1650 ft-lbs of torque at 1200 rpm. Delivering this awesome power to the wheels is a Fuller 10-speed Ultrashift automatic transmission, and an 18-foot movable lift and rear lift gate allow storage of up to four Mothers® show vehicles. The inaugural journey of the big rig was early summer of 2006, where it joined the Hot Rod Power Tour on an 8-day road trip up the East Coast. During 2010, this heavy hauler will hit nearly two-dozen events throughout North America.

Beyond the events, the Shine Award, the cool rides and motorsports, the auto enthusiasts who swear by Mothers® products reads like a "Who's Who" of hands-on car builders and collectors. They use Mothers® on everything from high-end hot rods to race-ready performance imports.

For instance, Performance West Group, which creates award-winning "image vehicles" for major automakers such as GM, Ford and DaimlerChrysler, relies on Mothers® to keep their rides looking great. "Our custom-painted project vehicles are displayed at major auto shows nationwide, such Detroit, Los Angeles, Chicago and New York," relates Larry Weiner of Performance West Group. "We put a tremendous amount of preparation and care into the execution of these dazzling show vehicles, and the only wax we use on our cars is Mothers®. It gives our cars the ultimate finishing touch."

The consistent theme for these individuals is obvious: a passion for perfection in the look of their topnotch vehicles. Mothers® shares this same spirit, and stays closely involved with these and many other respected car builders. To put it simply, Mothers® really loves cars, and wants to keep them looking their best.

Returning to the earlier question posed by so many people: Why the name Mothers®? " That's the most frequent question asked of us," says Dennis Holloway, who is founder Al Holloway's son and now manages the company. "It's sort of obvious -- everybody should trust their Mothers®, right?" he points out. Judging from the level of enthusiasm shown by fellow car enthusiasts, they really do.