Company History

Celebrating 57 Years of Performance: The History of Diamond Pistons

Before becoming a top-tier piston manufacturer, Diamond was a full-service machine shop focused on racing and performance.

Diamond Pistons is celebrating 57 years of leading the industry in performance piston innovation—a legacy forged in racing and built on precision. Founded in 1968 during the golden era of muscle cars and drag racing, Diamond was born from the pursuit of horsepower and continues to shape the future of piston technology today.

The original founders—“Diamond” Jim Cavallaro, Nick Plantus, and Warren "Butch" Elkins—were racers and entrepreneurs who came together to form a machine shop that quickly carved a niche in high-performance. By the early ‘70s, Diamond was already making waves in Super Stock and Pro Stock, offering everything from cylinder head porting and engine building to producing custom performance components.

“It was a vast line of stuff they did,” recalls current General Manager Mike Panetta. “They built Pro Stock engines, did head work, and even held the NASCAR contract to build engines for IROC cars. It was a fully operational machine shop—rocker arms, fittings, pistons—you name it.”

As demand for high-performance parts grew, Diamond began machining its own pistons, starting with forging blanks finished in-house to exacting specifications. That pivotal shift paved the way for the company’s focus today.

From Funny Car to Top Fuel and Pro Stock, Diamond has powered champions since 1968.

A major turning point came in 1999 when longtime employee and salesman Bob Fox purchased the company from the original founders. Fox saw the opportunity to narrow the company’s focus solely to piston development—refining Diamond into a brand known for precision, innovation, and elite performance.

“Since that shift, we’ve continually upgraded our machinery, software, and processes to stay at the forefront of piston technology,” said Panetta. “That refined focus is what’s helped us lead the pack.”

These early ads showcase the breadth of Diamond's capabilities before Fox streamlined the focus to elite piston manufacturing.

Fox’s strong ties with top-level teams helped Diamond grow its influence across NHRA and NASCAR. That momentum took a major leap in 2001 when Diamond partnered with Greg Anderson and Jason Line on their Pro Stock engine programs. This collaboration ushered in a new era of R&D and custom piston manufacturing tailored to the world’s most competitive engines.

Early forged pistons from Diamond found homes in muscle cars and drag machines across America.

Today, Diamond supplies pistons to nearly every NHRA Pro Stock team, with that cutting-edge technology filtering down to other racing sectors—from drag to circle track, and even diesel markets.

“We’re constantly evolving—whether it’s through new materials, machining techniques, or design software,” Panetta said. “Innovation is in our DNA.”

Some may think piston technology has plateaued, but Diamond continues to push the envelope. Whether it’s crafting a 2,000-horsepower shelf-stock LS2K piston or pioneering new engineering breakthroughs, Diamond’s mission remains the same: never settle.

“If you sit still, you’ll be passed,” Panetta adds. “And we don’t plan on being passed.”