Moon, also known as mooneyes, was born thanks to Dean Moon, a drag runner born on May 1, 1927 in Norwalk, California.
His father owned a restaurant called “Moon Cafe” and had a go-kart track that he called “Moonza”.
In 1950 he founded MOON Speed Equipment, aiming to improve the quality and safety of speed and racing products throughout his life. This company became an icon in the hot rodding industry.
The first products sold were a multi-carb fuel block, spun aluminum wheel discs, aluminum gas tanks, and a foot-shaped accelerator pedal. Products bearing the Moon name, including Moon disc wheel covers and Moon Tank auxiliary fuel containers, were very popular.
In 1960, Moon purchased the Potvin Company from Chuck Potvin, a manufacturer of ignitions, camshafts, and blower drives. In 1962, he moved the company to the Moon Equipment Building in Santa Fe Springs, California and continued to produce Potvin products.
As an interesting fact, the first A.C. Shelby Cobra to arrive in the United States, which was delivered to Carroll Shelby, was fitted with a Ford V8 engine and transmission at Dean Moon's shop in Santa Fe Springs in February 1962.
Moon revolutionized endurance racing. Their cars weren't just fast, they looked good with exclusive Mooneyes decals, yellow paint, and chrome. Likewise, their teams were uniformed in white with the MOON logo, as well as cowboy hats.
By 1963, Dean became one of the founding members of the Speed Equipment Manufacturers Association.
But on June 4, 1987, after Dean's death, Moon Speed Equipment was forced to momentarily pause its sales, but in the early 1990's, Shige Suganuma, a former Mooneyes dealer from Japan and friend close to Dean, restarted the company as MOONEYES USA, which continues Dean Moon traditions, including the Mooneyes Hot Rod & Custom Show in Yokohama, Japan.
It's worth mentioning that Moon Equipment's classic bright yellow show cars and drag cars were used as prototypes for Hot Wheels toys.
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