Network
For a company that performs all of its work in-house and has built one of the best reputations in the automotive industry over the last 49 years, it takes a ton of trust to allow others to come on board and put your name on the work they perform. However, that’s precisely what Lingenfelter Performance Engineering announced last week. The Lingenfelter Authorized Installer Network is a significant change to the LPE business model that has served the company very well.
The installation of the LPE Stage 1 Supercharger is not a DIY weekend project. With the Authorized Installer Network going live, customers can rest assured that the installation is being handled by professionals with the knowledge, experience, and specialized tools to properly turn the C8 Corvette into a 700-horsepower beast.
“We are very excited to announce our Lingenfelter Authorized Installer Program,” says Mark Rapson, COO/VP of Operations for LPE. Until now, 100-percent of Lingenfelter’s programs were carried out in-house at one of the two LPE Build Centers in Wixom, Michigan, or Decatur, Indiana. Depending on a customer’s location, it could be quite the haul to get a vehicle to one of LPE’s facilities to have an official LPE build performed on your car or truck. Nevertheless, Rapson informed us that there is a long waiting list of customers ready to have their vehicles receive the LPE touch.
Once the entire drive train cradle is out of the car and resting on the stand designed by LPE specifically for this process, upgrades can be performed with plenty of room to work.
In addition to creating a solution for better serving customers nationwide, the catalyst for introducing the new Lingenfelter Authorized Installer Network came from the recently released supercharger program for the C8 Corvette that LPE developed in a joint effort with MAGNUSON.
Based on the sophistication of the C8 platform, the team realized early on that this would be a professional-only install program. – Mark Rapson, LPE
Because of the complexity of the C8 Corvette and the LPE supercharger installation and calibration, special tools and equipment were developed by the team. This makes things much less DIY and more professional-install only. In addition, we have all seen the crackdown by the EPA on the automotive aftermarket, which is another factor in the decline of people performing installations in their own garages.
The complexity and system dynamics of today’s vehicle platforms have led to a paradigm shift in how performance upgrades are developed, which includes requirements for installation and integration. – Mark Rapson, LPE
As a result, the Authorized Installer Network was created. The program is a contractual agreement with select performance facilities to sell or install LPE performance upgrades. The selected facilities are geographically positioned around the country to give customers the best possible access to LPE performance programs with the peace of mind that the installations are being performed to LPE specifications.
In addition to the installation of the LPE Stage 1 Supercharger, you can have other upgrades performed, like the LPE Hornet Cold Air Intake Airbox and Lingenfelter CORSA exhaust.
Each professional partner in the LPE Authorized Installer Network is given the Lingenfelter stamp of approval, along with specialized tools and equipment for installing and calibrating LPE’s performance upgrade programs. The Lingenfelter team will also provide calibration and integration support to the professional installer partners within the network.
Our objective is to provide excellent performance and the best customer experience. – Mark Rapson, LPE
To launch the new Authorized Installer Network program, there are currently four professional upgrade facilities authorized by LPE. In the northeast, there’s East Coast Supercharging of Cream Ridge, New Jersey. ECS opened its doors in 2000 and has since become well known for its record-setting supercharger systems among the LS performance community. If you find yourself in the southeastern part of the country, there’s Redline Motorsports of Pompano Beach, Florida. Howard Tanner has built Redline Motorsports into a leader in high-performance GM vehicles. The company’s strength comes from over 30 years of experience working with electronic engine management-controlled GM vehicles. Tanner feels Redline Motorsports’ dedication to staying ahead of the technology curve has allowed them to offer the finest high-performance packages available anywhere.
As with all LPE builds, your car will have its individual Lingenfelter Authenticity Plaque.
With a high-performance market in Texas as big as the Lonestar State itself, there had to be an LPE partner here. When it comes to supercharging LS and LT engines, it doesn’t get much better than Boost District Superchargers of Midlothian, Texas. So it was no surprise that Boost District jumped on board the LPE Authorized Installer program and gained the approval to install the LPE Stage 1 Supercharger for C8 Corvettes and other LPE upgrades.
Last but not least, Lingenfelter authorized a top-notch performance shop north of the border to service its Canadian customers. Davenport Motorsports of Calgary, Alberta, Canada, has over 30 years of experience building and tuning supercharged domestic vehicles. They offer high-performance servicing, parts sales, and installation.
The Lingenfelter Performance Engineering test car shows that it can perform at a high level on the drag strip and the autocross course utilizing the full line of C8 Corvette parts offered by LPE, including the 700HP Stage 1 MAGNUSON Supercharge package.
Out on the west coast, it only made sense to have MAGNUSON Superchargers on board the Authorized Installer program considering it was vital in helping develop the LPE Stage 1 Supercharger program. So, no matter where you are in the United States, there will now be a professional shop authorized to install LPE upgrades within a reasonable distance. Taking this leap of faith is a big bet for Lingenfelter Performance Engineering, and one that Rapson feels is a game changer for both the company and its customers. The network will be evaluated and expanded in 2023, according to Rapson.
