It’s hard to believe a quarter of a century has passed since Steve Mitchell, with the backing of his father Bill, started Haltech, back in 1986. Mid 1980s was an interesting time for the automotive industry with the advent of electronic fuel injection changing the way enthusiasts and racers built and tuned their cars. Steve’s original intention was to develop diagnostic equipment for electronic fuel injection but a request by Modern Motor magazine to solve a problem of supplying fuel to a supercharged Ford project car led to the development of a supplementary fuel injection computer.

This was followed by a turbo timer, and within a short period of time Haltech had developed the world’s first real time (programmable with the engine running) PC-programmable engine management system. While screwdriver adjustable engine management systems had already been available and systems such as the (very expensive) English Zytek provided similar features, they were not programmable in real time.

Haltech’s first system, the F2 was soon followed by the F3 model which was produced by the thousands and, in a true testimony to the original design, many are still running today. The F7 model was produced with motorcycles and rotaries in mind, it was very quickly adopted by the V8 community who truly made it their own, proudly and loudly praising its performance and ease of use. The F7 was followed by a series of fuel only computers: F7A, F7B, F7C, F9, F9A to the F10.

The E5 fuel injection computer led to the development of the E6, E6A and E6S fuel injection/ignition timing computers that formed the basis for the very successful E6K computer. The E6 series spawned a whole new era of engine management where fuel and ignition was controlled along with idle speed and a number of ancillary devices.

Over the years Haltech has grown and expanded, currently selling to over 50 countries around the world. As the company grows, so does its product range and today, Haltech’s ECUs are supported and complemented by numerous products offering our customers a complete engine management solution. Haltech’s current Platinum Series of ECUs consists of the Sport 1000 and 2000 – Haltech’s flagship ECUs, the new Pro Plugin models designed to fit a specific make and model without the need for rewiring, and Sprint models aimed at budget-conscious enthusiasts and tuners.

Looking back, a lot has changed since Haltech’s humble beginning in 1986, new technologies have changed the way we drive and race our cars, new product development process had to change in line with the rapid pace of computer hardware and software development. Like all successful companies, Haltech had to adapt to stay abreast of all the emerging technologies and address changing expectations from tuners, racers and enthusiasts alike.

There are however, things that haven’t and will never change – and that’s Haltech commitment to quality, innovation and the dedication and passion of our staff. These qualities have been Haltech’s trademark since the beginning are the main reason why thousands of people around the world choose Haltech as their favourite ECU manufacturer.

A very early Haltech ECU (featured on a TV program “Beyond 2000″ circa 1988) on the Gary Willmington / John Leeson VL Group A Holden Commodore.

Early Haltech product brochures. The “Towards 2000″ tagline gives their age away.

Floppy discs – remember them? These days Haltech software comes on a mini CD and is downloadable directly from our website.

Early adopters – we salute you!

The rotary community was quick to realise the benefits of using Haltech. Today the world’s fastest rotaries are powered by Haltech ECUs.

The Japanese import market has quickly become Haltech’s stronghold and remains such to this day.

One of the original E6X advertisements

A quick tour through the current manufacturing plant with interesting commentary from the Director and General Manager.