Sentinel Capital Partners, a private equity firm that invests in companies in the lower midmarket, has announced the acquisition of Holley Performance Products, the market leader in branded performance products for automotive enthusiasts.  It will combine Holley with Driven Performance Brands a platform Sentinel acquired in 2015. 

 Headquartered in Bowling Green, Kentucky, Holley has been in operation for 115 years. Holley markets and manufactures a wide range of high-performance automotive products including carburetors, fuel injection systems, engine tuning and ignition solutions and exhaust systems. 

Its portfolio includes brands such as Holley, Sniper EFI, MSD, Accel, Diablosport, Superchips, Edge, and Hooker Blackheart. Utilizing feedback from consumers to guide the focus of its engineering, Holley has had a consistent commitment to leading-edge R&D and to introducing innovative new products.

“Holley is a strong, consumer-focused company with a portfolio of powerful brands and a meaningful edge in engineering and technology,” said Jim Coady, a partner at Sentinel. “Holley operates in the large, highly-fragmented, and steadily growing automotive enthusiast market. Led by a deeply-involved and experienced management team, Holley has a proven ability to integrate add-on businesses successfully and leads the industry when it comes to product innovation. We believe that Holley and Driven are extremely complementary in terms of culture, brands, and capabilities. Combining Holley and Driven creates the largest and most diversified business in the industry.”

“Holley provides a large and vibrant community of passionate consumers with high- performance products that are essential to their lifestyle,” said Tom Tomlinson, President and CEO of Holley. Uniting Holley and Driven expands our product offering and market-leading portfolio, deepens our connection to our enthusiast base, and, importantly, brings together two highly talented management teams.”

Driven is headquartered in Santa Rosa, California and its brands date back more than 65 years. The company manufactures high-performance automotive aftermarket products for a variety of vehicles including late-model European imports, classic muscle cars, and trucks. Driven’s brands include Flowmaster, B&M, Hurst, APR, and Dinan. 

“As one business, Holley and Driven will be a powerhouse at the center of a fragmented industry with highly favorable market dynamics,” said Driven CEO Brian Appelgate. “We share with Holley many similarities in how we interact with and earn the loyalty of our passionate customers. In addition, our brand portfolios are highly complementary and the combined business will be highly adept at identifying, acquiring, and investing in new brands.”