Callaway Cars announces the passing of founder and CEO Ely Reeves Callaway

American automotive company Callaway Cars (Old Lyme, Conn., U.S.) announces with deepest sadness the passing of its founder and CEO, Ely Reeves Callaway III, on July 11, 2023, at his home in Newport Beach, Calif., U.S. from injuries sustained after a fall.

Reeves was a notable figure in the world of high-performance automobiles. Entirely self-taught, Reeves founded the company in 1977 from his garage in Old Lyme, Conn., U.S.

His first product success was an aftermarket turbo kit for BMW, which automotive journalist Don Sherman reviewed favorably that year in Car and Driver. The rest was history as Reeves, a Formula Vee champion driver prior to becoming a constructor, moved with his customary speed to open Callaway Cars’ first headquarters.

Over the four decades since, Reeves and Callaway Cars have continued to earn top accolades from media, the automotive industry and the global motorsports world. His performance and design innovations have delivered track and road-going successes for global marques, including BMW, Alfa Romeo, Aston Martin, Land Rover, Mazda and General Motors (GM), who looked to Callaway’s innovation, creativity, agility and performance to help accomplish their goals.

Reeves is perhaps best known for his work with Corvette, a deep and high-level relationship with the American sports car manufacturer that began in 1987 and culminated with two industry firsts: The Callaway Twin Turbo Corvette “B2K” designation, and a Twin Turbo Corvette, dubbed “The Sledgehammer,” which, in 1989, set a production car top speed record of 254.76 miles per hour.

In 1994, Reeves launched a Germany-based racing unit, Callaway Competition, with partners Ernst Wöhr and Giovanni Ciccone. International recognition was achieved by their successes at the 24 Hours of Le Mans, and later a European GT racing team which ultimately led to authorization by GM to construct and homologate C6- and C7-generation GT3 race cars for international competition.

Reeves is said to be one of the last and most successful one-man, single-vision practitioners of hyper-performing internal combustion automobiles. It’s a rare-air field that includes the likes of Ettore Bugatti, Ferry Porsche and Enzo Ferrari, to name a few. His vision, creativity and innovation encompassed not only automotive engineering, but aviation and aerospace as well with Callaway Carbon Inc. (Temecula, Calif., U.S.) which performs custom car upgrades with carbon fiber conversion kits.

A longtime helicopter pilot and board director for Kaman Corp. (Bloomfield, Conn., U.S.), Reeves was, in recent years, a founding adviser to a hydrogen-powered and composite-intensive, blended-wing aircraft startup with funding from NASA and the Air Force.

“Thanks to Reeves’ visionary entrepreneurial spirit, Callaway Cars will continue to innovate and grow in the 21st century, inspired by his unique, extraordinary vision, and by his personal example of integrity, resourcefulness and leadership as our founder,” says his son, Peter Reeves Callaway, the company’s president. “Dad’s passion for making beautifully designed and crafted machines can be seen in each and every project, and we remain devoted to executing to the highest standards, in true Callaway fashion. He was rarely found doing anything other than working towards the next milestone for the company. He was a charismatic leader with a sense of humor that we will all remember through various ‘Reeves-isms.’ I feel fortunate to have grown up working with him and the company.”

The first son of Ely Reeves Callaway, Jr., the founder of Callaway Golf, and brother of publisher Nicholas Callaway, Reeves proudly epitomized the entrepreneurial Callaway family tradition of making the finest goods that enhance an individual’s enjoyment, performance and lifestyle.

A true gentleman, he was the devoted father of four and grandfather of two. His large circle of friends, colleagues and admirers around the world will mourn his passing and miss him deeply.