Who Owns BluePrint Engines And How Did The Company Get Started?

Norris Marshall started BluePrint Engines in the garage of his Nebraska home in 1982. There, he worked on engines for local racers and car enthusiasts until his enthusiasm for the work had him building whole engines, one at a time. Norris's dad was deep into the car culture, building classic hot rods and eventually participating in drag racing. The apple didn't fall too far from the tree because Norris was bracket racing by the time he was 18 years old.

The business gradually grew too big for the four-car garage, prompting Norris to move the operation into a factory large enough to fit three football fields. The large facility is located in Kearney, Nebraska, and continues to serve as BluePrint Engine's headquarters.

Ever since the company began manufacturing crate engines on a large scale, it has produced almost 400,000 engines. Crate engines are ideal for those who build classic cars for show, as they're a complete engine ready to be dropped in. Since they have significantly more horsepower than stock engines, they're also great for different race cars. To this day, Norris remains BluePrint Engines' CEO.

BluePrint has large and small block engines compatible with classic GM-manufactured cars as well as classic Fords and Chryslers. Not only does the company build engines for major car manufacturers, but it also fulfills orders for major retailers like Autozone and NAPA. It's such a well-known name among car enthusiasts that celebrities like Alice Cooper and Hulk Hogan each have classic cars with BluePrint's engines.

The former wrestler has one of BluePrint's drop-in engines under the hood of his '66 Caprice, which is one of the most underappreciated Chevrolet muscle cars. Meanwhile, Cooper uses BluePrint's 302 C.I. in his Avanti. Whatever happened to Studebaker automobiles? Alice Cooper knows.

BluePrint Engines now makes much more than the crate engines that helped the company establish itself. As one would expect from an engine company, the brand branched out and started manufacturing and selling various engine components. BluePrint Engines makes most car parts, from intake manifolds and carburetors to water pumps and ignition coils.