Take Five: John Hotchkis

THE PERFORMANCE SUSPENSION PIONEER DISCUSSES HIS ROOTS IN DESIGN, RACING, AND THE CHANGING LANDSCAPE OF THE PERFORMANCE AFTERMARKET

- John Pearley Huffman

It wasn’t that long ago that the idea of a muscle car that handled was ridiculous. You might cobble together stiffer springs and thicker sway bars for your classic machine, but it was a roll of the dice whether it would actually improve how the car handled. Then John Hotchkis came along in the early 1990s, established Hotchkis Sport Suspension in Santa Fe Springs, California, and took a systematic approach to refining the handling of American metal never designed to aggressively get around a corner.

While his company made its bones tuning domestics, Hotchkis started his career in road racing. The cars he drove most often were Porsches—hardcore race machines like the 911 RSR and the legendary 962, often driving in IMSA endurance events alongside his father.

In business, Hotchkis hasn’t limited itself to any specific genre of car, although the platforms must have a potential fun factor. Yes, the man who made Impalas and Galaxies very enjoyable drivers has also developed handling kits for BMWs and Toyotas.

HRM] How do you go from sports car racer to building muscle car suspension pieces?