The legacy of Lamar Walden…

Lamar’s name is synonymous with racing and high performance engine building in the South, and while he’s best known for his work with the 409 Chevy engine, it’s not an exaggeration to say he did it all.  

Lamar was born June 30, 1941 in Flintstone, GA and was deep rooted in the racing history in Georgia and the Southeast until the time of his passing August 28, 2015.  

Lamar started his professional career as a co-op student with GM’s Diesel Truck division, while winning local races with a stock-class ’57 Chevy 2-barrel car.  He had an Anglia gasser, and later a blown, injected 409-powered ’33 Willys gasser, and picked up sponsorship from GM. In

1969, he was given one of the 69 ZL-1 Camaros to campaign, and when NHRA outlawed them, Chevrolet sent him a ’69 COPO Camaro replacement. (Forty-three years later, he was the only original ’69 ZL-1 owner to get one of the 69 2012 COPO race cars from Chevrolet.) Somewhere in there was a hitch with the United States Marine Corps, and true to their mantra, Lamar was always a Marine.

Lamar was influential in the beginning of Pro Stock racing, setting several “firsts” for speed and ET, and won over 30 P/S races in one season. In the mid-‘70s, he built, maintained and drove Barry Setzer’s Pro Stock Vegas, was involved with the Coca-Cola Calvacade of Stars, and in 1976 he was named Engine Builder of the Year, Chassis Builder of the Year, and Driver of the Year.  Lamar contributed to the Nascar era in the 70’s where he worked with the famed

Elliott family by doing machine work.  He also built and maintained engines for Bruce Hill (Nascar Rookie of the Year - 1975)

He opened Lamar Walden Automotive in the late ‘60s, and moved to its present location in Doraville, Georgia in 1968. By the end of the ‘70s, Lamar had gotten out of full-time professional racing to spend more time with his family and concentrate on his engine shop… but racing was never far from him. In the ‘80s, he built “The world’s fastest 409,” and then a 7/8-scale fiberglass ’62 Bubble Top, and with son Rob, they competed in Pro Stock and Super Chevy Series races—one of the original Hot Rod Magazine Fastest Street Car Shootout jackets can still be seen hanging up at the shop in the winter. Lamar was also involved in many high-end restoration projects, restoring his ZL-1 and COPO Camaros, the ’57 Chevy “Black Widow” that is currently on display in the Nascar museum, several ’55-’64 Chevys, and he was just putting the finishing touches on Dyno Don Nicholson’s black-with-red interior ’62 409 4-speed Bel Air when he passed away. He also did R&D work with several aftermarket companies designing pistons and other components, and was instrumental in the design and development of stroker 409 and 348 kits, his own aluminum 409 heads as well as consulting Edelbrock with theirs, and was instrumental in the development of World Products’ aluminum 409 block.  Due to his continued success and numerous contributions to racing Lamar was elected to the East Coast Hall of Fame in October 2012.  

His son Rob has been there with him since he was old enough to sweep the floor, and over the years has taken on an increasing roll in the business, slowly assuming more and more responsibility. As much as Waldens’ shop is known for 409s, they are also known for late-model performance and tuning as well. They did some consulting work with Chevrolet on the LS1 when it first came out, helped aftermarket companies design some of the first stroker kits for them, and most recently got back to Lamar’s roots with a Pro Stocker’s influence on diesel engines, making Duramax Diesels do things that have turned the Diesel performance world inside out. Rob will continue to run LWA as he and his dad always have.

The performance engine business is a fickle thing, and you don’t stay in business for almost 50 years without integrity and honesty. Lamar’s accomplishments in racing, and his influence in the sport and automotive hobby will probably never fully be recognized by the rest of the world, but everyone who ever knew him, knows.

And that is a lot of people. Everyone in the South East in general, and Georgia in particular, who has been involved in racing over the years, has passed through, spent time, or got their start in Lamar’s shop. One of the most often heard comments from people who knew Lamar is “He helped me a lot. If it wasn’t for him, I’d……” fill in the blank. He was generous with his time, generous with his help, and generous with his stories.

For all those reasons, and many more, he was a positive influence in countless lives. He was a true, honest friend to a hell of a lot of people, and he will be missed very much.