About Us

Century Performance Center, Inc. (CPC) was founded in Ventura, California, in the 11th month of 1989. The Ventura County area was a hotbed of many great performance part manufacturers, including ARP, JAZ, Borla, Paxton, Wilwood, AR Inc, SI Valves, Aceomatic, Duttweiler Performance, and more. CPC was created to find and develop horsepower. The initial effort was to address the demand for engines we were asked to build for drag racing and circle track racers, commercial fleet accounts, and our friends—and it was getting a little out of control. We needed the benefits of an actual business name, the improved buying power, and the benefits of a “real” business name and location. Most of our early customers were corporate accounts with fleet trucks, local drag racing, and street racers. They appreciated the knowledge, performance, and reliability we provided so they could win races! The business name was developed by trying to get a good logo, such as “21st Century Performance.” That idea failed miserably as we attempted to create a comparable logo. Having only fair graphic skills back then, generating a nice-looking logo did not happen. So came the shorter version, “Century Performance Center”.

Why We Are Now Located In Reno, Nevada?

A couple of needs were behind the move to Reno. One was that California bureaucrats sometimes have a way of strangling businesses, especially those in the automotive industry. A company that periodically uses a simple aerosol spray that releases something into the atmosphere is scrutinized. We have always been environmentally conscious, but a reasonable tolerance level was surpassed after being threatened with fines for spray painting an engine block without a paint booth. The second reason was the continued and increasing gang problems and lack of genuine community involvement to develop youth activities and opportunities in the area. We lived in a great community, but we had young children at the time, and the older local politicians were trying to turn Ventura County into the retirement capital of the world. It became increasingly evident that it was time to move.

Let me be clear. California is not a bad place to live. It is beautiful and offers opportunity. Much of the attacks against California are unfounded, but that is not to ignore its problems. California has to be managed more like a country than a state, and many do not understand this designation. More thought and due diligence by state and local politicians regarding policy decisions are paramount. However, improved community involvement by every Californian, reevaluation of policies, and better law enforcement training (including the permanent removal of bad apples) are imperative.

Another reason was more personal. 500-miles seemed like a safe distance between toxic family members, including those potentially dangerous to my young children.

Reno became a logical choice after visiting family who lives close to the area and finding that we enjoyed the community here. Backed up against the Sierra Nevada mountain range, Lake Tahoe is about an hour away, and plenty of kid-related opportunities created a desire to investigate the Reno-Sparks area more thoroughly. Northern Nevada loves businesses, especially those that are NOT casino related. The area reaches out with open arms to businesses that are not gaming properties (casinos) and does not try to extract exorbitant fees and bureaucratic processes that prevent the efficient operation and management of businesses. Additionally, the area is one of the strictest when it comes to EPA issues, but not in such a way that regulations are too extreme or beyond what someone’s own common sense can’t understand. The weather and altitude have their drawbacks – we get snow during the winter months and our altitude is over 5000 feet above sea level. Our local track is at 4000′ (which usually corrects to over 6,000′), so engine tuning presented some interesting learning curves, especially when considering that our past stomping ground was only a few hundred feet over sea level.

Our Goals:

Our goals are quite simple – we want to be thought of favorably by automotive enthusiasts and be one of their first choices when shopping for brand-name products, detailed technical support, responsible advice, or just simple education. With complete product information, technical support before and after the sale, and the capacity to support those who may purchase their products elsewhere, we are admired by many. It is a great compliment (though it does not help pay our bills) when our competitors refer customers to our site to fix the errors that their own sales and support staff have generated, either by selling the wrong products or giving incorrect support information. Many of our suppliers refer customers with support issues to our website. Why? Because we care enough not just to sell you the product, but to make sure you understand what you are purchasing, how it fits, how to use it, and what not to do. Sure, our prices are competitive, and in many cases, lower than our competition, but we excel in product and customer support issues!

You will not see the BS and gimmicks here, just the best products, the best service, and hopefully an enjoyable website experience for our current and future customers.

We welcome all of you!