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OUR FAMILY HISTORY
How it all started...
Many people know about Thunderbolt because of our famous "Yeeee-Hawww" commercial on local Houston television in the '80s and '90s. Still, they don't know the whole history of how Thunderbolt came to be. Thunderbolt was started before World War II by a hard-working Chrysler mechanic named Harry Hartley. At 15, he ran away from home and took up the trade of auto mechanics. He learned the basics of automobile repair from his mother. Harry worked as a mechanic in a Chrysler dealership in downtown Houston but yearned to open his own business. He started a small repair shop from an old Cities Service gas station. Just as business was beginning to take off, he was drafted.
Coming Home...
After the war, he opened his first accurate engine exchange. The factories were all converted to war production, and no one could buy a new car. Because of this, Harry found himself very busy. Everyone had cars with worn-out engines that needed rebuilding.
Time for a change...
Eventually, this became too much. In 1970, he closed all the plants and opened a small engine plant on the southeast side of Houston. We are still located there today.
Harry died in 1997. In early 1997, his son, Skip, took over. Skip has moved the company in new directions while never forgetting the principles his father taught him. Skip carried the company into a new era, investing in the high-tech, precision machinery you see today.
Thunderbolt is a family and when you come to Thunderbolt, you become part of our family!
The famous commercial...
Thunderbolt's famous "Yeeee Hawwww"
commercial is instantly recognized by
anyone who watched local TV in the '80s
and '90s. The catchy jingle was a family
affair, written by Harry's daughter Bonnie
Miller, who was a singer and worked for a
local advertising agency then. It was a low-budget commercial shot in one day, a description that doesn't do justice to the catchy jingle and the telenovela-like plot line. For many, this commercial is an instant time machine trip.
In 2005, the commercial won the Houston Press' award for "Best Vintage Local TV Commercial." Sadly, Bonnie didn't see that; she and her husband passed away in a car accident in 1997, just days after Skip's wedding, but her legacy will live on through her work and music.