the dirt
Mortie’s Speed: The Story
The story of Mortie’s Speed goes back to the heyday of cool cars, souped up hot rods, and factory American muscle. It was the late 1960’s. A time of freethinking and free driving where rebellion was the name of the game and a drag race could be found on any corner. The more power you could stuff under the hood meant better odds of winning the race, and a date. It was during this time that Mortie came of age, racing anything he could get his hands on. A ’57 Volkswagen Beetle, a ‘55 Chevy six cylinder, and finally a ’57 Chevy two door hardtop with a 283 and 4.11 gears. The nickname Mortie even came from a guy down the street with the same name, whom Mortie helped build up his ’68 Pontiac GTO with a 400 ci four-barrel V8.
Fast forward 30 years and times had changed. Free love and freethinking had opened the door to self-expressionism and the greatest technological advancement in our history, the internet. A new breed of hot rod was coming out of Japan and they were bold, wild, and computer controlled. Unfortunately, gone were the days of mid-city drag racing, at least in Sioux Falls. If you wanted to tear up the road you had two options. Either head out of town or forget the road all together. The latter is where Mortie’s son Nate hung his hat. Everything that had wheels used them to find dirt, rocks, and mud. Even a 1996 Chrysler Concorde and an ’86 Oldsmobile Cutlass Ciera had short, but impressive, runs. It was a different style of automotive prowess than his father possessed; but nonetheless, in the blood.
Fast forward another 20 years and Mortie and Nate have found a way to bring their unique talents, experience, and passions to the world. What started off as a retirement hobby for Mortie has quickly shifted into a full-on operation with the inclusion of Nate. Their purpose: to give their clients a chance to show off their unique personality through metal, imagination, and mud. What started over 50 years ago on the streets of Sioux Falls is now the premier place to get off them.
The story of Mortie’s Speed goes back to the heyday of cool cars, souped up hot rods, and factory American muscle. It was the late 1960’s. A time of freethinking and free driving where rebellion was the name of the game and a drag race could be found on any corner. The more power you could stuff under the hood meant better odds of winning the race, and a date. It was during this time that Mortie came of age, racing anything he could get his hands on. A ’57 Volkswagen Beetle, a ‘55 Chevy six cylinder, and finally a ’57 Chevy two door hardtop with a 283 and 4.11 gears. The nickname Mortie even came from a guy down the street with the same name, whom Mortie helped build up his ’68 Pontiac GTO with a 400 ci four-barrel V8.
Fast forward 30 years and times had changed. Free love and freethinking had opened the door to self-expressionism and the greatest technological advancement in our history, the internet. A new breed of hot rod was coming out of Japan and they were bold, wild, and computer controlled. Unfortunately, gone were the days of mid-city drag racing, at least in Sioux Falls. If you wanted to tear up the road you had two options. Either head out of town or forget the road all together. The latter is where Mortie’s son Nate hung his hat. Everything that had wheels used them to find dirt, rocks, and mud. Even a 1996 Chrysler Concorde and an ’86 Oldsmobile Cutlass Ciera had short, but impressive, runs. It was a different style of automotive prowess than his father possessed; but nonetheless, in the blood.
Fast forward another 20 years and Mortie and Nate have found a way to bring their unique talents, experience, and passions to the world. What started off as a retirement hobby for Mortie has quickly shifted into a full-on operation with the inclusion of Nate. Their purpose: to give their clients a chance to show off their unique personality through metal, imagination, and mud. What started over 50 years ago on the streets of Sioux Falls is now the premier place to get off them.
Dan "Mortie" Kenyon
With a deep interest in all things mechanical and a BS-ME in Mechanical Engineering from South Dakota State University, it was only natural that Dan “Mortie” Kenyon would develop a life-long passion for all things automotive. A passion that was fostered from a young age while helping his father Ron work on the family car in the garage of their Sioux Falls home.
After graduating from SDSU in 1974, he joined General Electric Co. in the Power Generation Service Division based out of Minneapolis. This assignment took him from New York to Michigan to North Dakota and finally landing in Minneapolis. While working out of Bismarck, ND on a massive steam turbine generator installation, he started Mort’s Auto. It was a small operation, performing various speed equipment upgrades in his free time, but nonetheless allowed him to quench his thirst for wrenching. It was here that Mortie bought his first Jeep, a 1972 CJ5 with a Chevy 350 under the hood. Upon returning to Minneapolis in 1985, Mort’s Auto went dormant, but that didn’t stop the flow of automotive projects going through his garage. Whether he was working on his own vehicles, or helping out a friend, there was a better chance than not of there being a project car in the garage. In 1994 Mortie, his wife Nancy, and their son Nathaniel moved back Sioux Falls. It was here that he was able to build a successful manufacturers rep business called Concept Sales, Inc. As a result of this business he was able to acquire the current location for Mortie’s Speed and Equipment. At the time it was a private shop used for personal automotive projects and restorations under the banner of Kenyon Marketing and Properties. In 2018, Mortie’s son Nate started helping around the shop in his spare time and soon the pair realized they had the makings of successful little enterprise. It was here that Mortie’s Speed and Equipment was born. Today when Dan isn’t working at the shop, he enjoys spending his free time on the golf course with friends, at his cabin on Lake Pickerel with Nancy, or rooting for the local USHL hockey team, the Sioux Falls Stampede. |
Nate "hollywood" kenyon
From the time he was old enough to understand what this world had to offer, Nate “Hollywood” Kenyon yearned for a life in the spotlight. The dream back then was for athletic stardom, first in baseball and eventually transitioning to basketball. In his late teens that dream was again transformed with his love of music, playing in a handful of bands in to his late 20’s. While he still carries a passion for sports and music, it was a love for automobiles and the open country that stuck with Nate through it all.
Nate designed his first vehicle at age 12, a wooden, self-propelled tank-like cart he could use to rip around the family farm in Corcoran, MN. Luckily for him, his father was a mechanical engineer and plans were changed to a steel tube framed, 5hp, gas powered go-cart with massive knobby off-road tires. It was in this cart, tearing through the muddy swamps of Minnesota, that Nate developed his taste for dirt, speed, and the vast countryside that began at the end of a road. Nate spent his late teens and twenties tearing around muddy construction sites, ditches, minimum maintenance roads, or anywhere he could escape the pavement. His vehicle of choice ranged from a 1982 Chevy Blazer, 1989 Ford Bronco, and finally his beloved 1991 Toyota Pickup. Each of which was customized with items such as obnoxious stereos, massive tires, and the occasional genius of crushed velvet or white fur interior. Always the entrepreneur, Nate started his first of four companies after attending two years of graphic design school at South Dakota State University. All except Mortie’s were centered around marketing and design, a passion that Nate has had a lifelong affinity for. In fact, Nate carries with him a unique set of skills that are rare for any industry, let alone automotive. While many have made their mark on automotive design or engineering, not many have blended those lines. For Nate, the idea that an automobile should look as well as it performs is second nature. Being able to see the vision of what a vehicle is capable of in both areas is truly unique and is a major reason Nate has found a home in automobile customization with Mortie’s Speed and Equipment. Of course, building the company alongside his father, Mortie, is the best part of all. |
