HTCAV SPONSOR PROFILE – WEBER PERFORMANCE - JUST CARS

HTCAV Sponsor Profile – Weber Performance

Words: Mike Ryan

Photos: Daniel van Stokrom (Weber Performance)

A small block Chev with a set of Webers. It’s a combination that sounds as American as apple pie, right? Errr, not quite. As most enthusiasts know, the man behind the Chevrolet name, Louis Chevrolet, had Swiss-French origins, but did you know Weber carburettors have similar European beginnings?

From Italy to the World

Born of Swiss and Italian parents, Edoardo Weber was a mechanical engineering graduate who had originally worked for Fiat before founding Fabbrica Italiana Carburatori Weber after World War I. Due to post-war fuel shortages, the first Weber carburettors were actually made as part of a conversion kit for running petrol-engined trucks on kerosene.

By the mid-1920s, Weber had developed a two-stage, twin-barrel carburettor for use with supercharged Fiat engines. This design proved to be just as effective on normally-aspirated engines, too.

From there, Weber was – literally – off and racing, as Alfa Romeo and Maserati racers of the late 1920s and early ’30s featured Weber sidedraft carbys. By the end of the 1930s, Weber was an OEM supplier to just about every Italian car manufacturer.

After World War II, Weber carburettors would achieve even greater success, becoming standard fitment on everything from Volkswagens to Ferraris. With the release of Weber conversion kits in the ’50s, the brand went global, as car owners found that Webers not only offered more performance than their factory-fitted carburettors, but were easier to tune, too.

From their original base in Italy, Weber carbs survived the arrival of fuel injection and are still being manufactured in Spain to this day.

Weber Down Under

Daniel van Stokrom, owner/operator of Weber Performance, knows a LOT about Weber carburettors, as he’s been in the business of selling, servicing and refurbishing Weber carbies for more than a decade.

“We have the largest range of genuine Weber carburettors in Australia,” Daniel says. “And we also stock service kits, replacement parts like jets, venturi and linkages, as well as adaptors, tuning tools, manifolds and more.”

On the repair side, Daniel can handle the full gamut of work, from general servicing to full to concours standards.

Extensive knowledge in the field has seen Daniel build up a big client base, from individual vehicle owners to workshops and specialists in the repair and restoration of classic exotic cars.

In the past, carbs and parts for the like of Aston Martins, Lamborghinis, Ferraris, Porsches and Jaguars have passed through Weber Performance’s doors. It’s not entirely exotics, though, as Daniel says that owners of everything from true blue Aussie Fords and Holdens, to classic Japanese sports cars and sedans can benefit from Weber induction solutions.

Owners of classic Citroens and Renaults are often surprised to find their vehicles were factory-fitted with Weber carburettors. And of course, hot rods and street machines can benefit from the Weber Performance touch, too.

“We’re the only business in Australia that specialises in Weber,” Daniel adds. “And that includes carbs, manifolds and related parts for not just street cars, but also full race applications.”

Getting Racy

As well as simple requirements for classic car owners, such as reducing the tuning required (for those who’d rather spend their time behind the wheel than under the bonnet!), Weber Performance can also re-jet carburettors to suit all sorts of motorsport disciplines, from classic Formula 1 and all the junior formulae (like Formula Vee and Formula Ford), to historic touring cars and even rally cars.

Naturally, the demands of motorsport are far greater than those of street cars. Daniel jokingly says that historic race car owners can be just as demanding, but he should know, because he’s one of them!

As a member of the Historic Touring Car Association of Victoria for the past six years, Daniel’s been able to “test what he sells” on his Group Nc ’72 Torana XU-1 on some of Australia’s fastest racing circuits.

“I’ve built up a good relationship with the historic racing fraternity and gained a lot of feedback from blokes who’ve been racing these cars a lot longer than I have,” Daniel says. “It’s been a two-way street, really, as I’ve also been able to introduce my customers to new and updated carburettors, manifolds and related parts that are modernised, but won’t impact historic racing rules and regulations.”

An example of this is the Lynx range of inlet manifolds, originally developed by Leon Thomas and John Bruderlin in the 1950s, that are now being continued by Weber Performance using modern casting and machining techniques. When Daniel acquired the Lynx brand back in 2015, he also gained a lot of wisdom from Bruderlin himself, so the passing of the Aussie performance pioneer last December has made the continuation of the Lynx brand all the more important.

Under Pressure

While fitting a Weber carburettor can improve performance, bolting on the carby is only part of the story.

“The right fuel pressure is critical to carburettor efficiency,” Daniel explains. “A Weber carburettor – any carburettor, really - is only as good as the fuel system supplying it. The two go hand-in-glove.”

To that end, Weber Performance also offer a range of fuel system parts, from hoses and fittings to gauges and fuel pumps, to ensure Weber carbs perform at their best.

“We’re the Australian distributor for Malpassi fuel pressure regulators,” Daniel adds. “Made in Italy, Malpassi has been around for years and are widely regarded as the best regulator for low-pressure applications.”

Keeping the Italian theme going, Weber Performance also stock Dell’Orto carby and fuel system parts.

Trust the Experts

Like auto electrics, carburation can be frustratingly complicated. Even those handy on the spanners regard carby tuning as something of a black art. So, rather than tear your hair out trying to get your carburettor performing at its best, why not get the experts to do it.

Drop in to Weber Performance’s workshop or give Daniel a call to find out what he can do for you. From the biggest jobs to simple advice, Weber Performance are there to help.