For episode 35 of the Rottler Featured Series, we’re in Groton, Connecticut to see Gary Espinoza, owner of the legendary machine shop Larry’s Auto Machine where they offer all levels of engine building, from mild to 1150HP blown pump gas hemi.

Gary got into the business in 1988 and he’s never just wanted to build engines, he wants to build engines that win races. Not surprisingly, is engines have done that over 1,700 times. It doesn’t matter what the race application is either — circle track, drag, boat, you name it — and there’s a vehicle power by a Larry’s Auto Machine-built engine winning it.

One of the interesting things about Gary and crew is that these guys for the most part learned their trade hands-on. None of them had any experience in operating a CNC machine. So, when they got their first Rottler machine (an F68A) and found that it, like them, works in inches and has touch screen controls that even a novice can use, they knew they’d made a great choice.

These days the shop floor at Larry’s looks a lot like a Rottler show floor. In addition to the F68 multi-purpose CNC (now upgraded to F69 capabilities), they’ve also got an H85A automatic hone, an S85 surfacer, an SG9HP seat & guide machine, and an EM69HP engine machining center for those seriously high horsepower applications.

Gary’s guys will tell you that their suite of Rottler machines give them the kind of power and productivity you can’t get anywhere else. Machinist Anthony Franco told us there are days where he’s “honing, decking, porting, boring, and doing a valve job all at the same time” thanks to Rottler’s “set it and let it run” automation.

Ultimately, what sets an engine built by Larry’s Auto Machine apart from others is their ability to find engineering advantages in small places and be able to leverage them into big performance gains. “In truth,” Garys says “this business would not be as successful as it is without Rottler.”

We couldn’t be prouder to call Larry’s Auto Machine a customer and partner. Check out the video!