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For almost 100 years, ACDelco has been sparking the automotive industry and firing customer enthusiasm. As you might expect, it began as one man's hobby.
Today ACDelco products are chosen the world over, an accomplishment only the past can explain. So buckle up and join us for a fast ride back in time.
How It All Started
1899
Albert Champion bids adieu to France and hits the high seas for America. Albert was a champion bicycle racer, and he used the draft from speedy motorcycles to help him train and set a pace. Once in Boston, Albert makes his own spark plugs and sells them to friends for extra cash. With the help of investors, Albert turns his hobby into a business, The Champion Ignition Co.
1901
Brothers Frank and Perry Remy founded the Remy Electric Co. The Brothers Remy were the first to build dynamos and magnetos, which were used instead of batteries for ignition in early vehicles.
1905 The honeymoon ends between Albert Champion and his investors. The investors pull out of the deal and keep the Champion name. (Ouch.)
1908
Albert Champion, still the competitor, joins forces with Buick Motor Co. The two make beautiful spark plugs together for the AC Spark Plug Division. Guess where they got the name.
1916
Here comes The General. United Motors Corp (UMC). is formed by Alfred P. Sloan - the man who would eventually become president and then chairman of GM. UMC eventually absorbs Buick and AC Spark Plug, and later merges with Chevrolet to form General Motors. That same year, UMC forms United Motors Service Inc. (UMS), to sell and service parts made by the company.
1926 Remy Electric, which had been bought out twice since being formed by the Remy brothers, merges with competitor Dayton Engineering Labs Co. (Delco) to form Delco
Remy Corp.
Aeroplanes to Rockets
1927
Off we go, into the wild blue yonder. AC Spark Plugs are used in Charles A. Lindbergh's transatlantic flight.
1932
AC Spark Plugs are used in Amelia Earhart's transatlantic solo flight.
1935 General Motors Parts Division (GMPD) forms in order to consolidate the automaker's parts-marketing activities.
1969 AC igniter plugs are used to fire the second- and third-stage rocket engines that propel Neil Armstrong, Mike Collins and Buzz Aldrin to the moon. That same year, GMPD becomes a separate business unit. It distributes replacement parts to GM dealers.
1971
United Motors Service is renamed United Delco Division.
1974
Guess what? That's right, it's time for another merger. The AC-Delco Division is born with the combination of the United Delco and AC Spark Plug sales organizations.
ACDelco Now
1986
The ACDelco Division is 12 years old. With its teen years on the horizon, GM forms Service Parts Operations, ACDelco's current parent company.
1995 ACDelco's logo gets a new look to reflect the company's continuing commitment to developing new products and innovations. This year saw the introduction of the performance spark plug, RAPIDFIRE®, and a new extended-life battery, the Delco Freedom 84-Month Battery.
1997
ACDelco launches a new concept, the ACDelco Service Center. ACDelco also christened a new world headquarters in Grand Blanc, Michigan, USA.
2000 ACDelco strives to deliver the highest standards for dependable and quality automotive parts for all makes and models of vehicles. This vision is captured in ACDelco's new advertising theme, "When the right way is the only way."
2002 ACDelco continues to strive to maintain the highest standards in the industry, delivering quality automotive parts for all makes and all models.
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