PR Engine Science, Inc

Paul Robbins always exhibited a natural ability to take things apart and put them back together. He graduated as the top student at the BOCES machine shop program in 1972.  In 1976, seven years after acquiring his first lathe and drill press at the age of sixteen, Paul established a machine shop on West Avenue Extension. The business operated out of a 30-by-40-foot steel frame building next to his house which Paul erected earlier that year. The company was named Weasel Wheels, after the custom widened steel wheels he had been making for stock cars and hot rods since the late 1960’s and early 1970’s. In 1982, the company was renamed PR Engine Science to more accurately reflect the type of work performed. The business had gained a reputation for precision machine work and building dependable, high-horsepower race engines for stock cars, pulling tractors, and street machines as well as cylinder head reconditioning. Many local businesses, farmers, and industries were also counted among its customers. In 1983, Paul’s wife Robin, left her position as Allegany County Deputy Treasurer to further help with the growing demands of the business. Along with continuing to handle the office work, Robin also worked side-by-side with Paul in the machine shop for a time. In the mid-1980’s, a 30-by-20-foot extension was added to the existing machine shop and Paul’s brother, Wayne, was hired to help with the machine work. The company also joined the Automotive Engine Rebuilders Association (AERA), an international organization of engine rebuilding machine shops. This gave Paul and Robin the opportunity to meet and network with businesses around the world and help with technical expertise and keeping up-to-date on new technologies. PR Engine Science was incorporated in January 1986, with Paul serving as president and Robin as secretary/treasurer. The Robbins purchased the former broom factory and sawmill on West Avenue in 1988. They rented out one side of this building and used the other side for a crankshaft grinding facility and warehouse space. In the mid-1990’s, Robin was elected to a term on the AERA Board of Directors. This association with AERA and the demands for high-tech engine building equipment led Paul to change the entire direction of the business. He began developing an engine line-boring system and specialty tooling for a French company, Serdi Corporation. The first of the machine shop’s computerized numeric control (CNC) machines, along with a computer and computer aided design (CAD) software, were purchased in 1995 to manufacture the tooling. These machines were added to the many lathes, drill presses, milling machines, and other tooling already in use at the shop. By the end of 1995, the company had switched almost entirely from building engines to designing and manufacturing. One of the last engines built was for Brock Yates of “Cannonball Run” fame. In addition to other projects, beginning in 2000, Paul developed two hand-braking systems for one of the world’s largest railroad car remanufacturers, Alstom Transportation. Paul is listed as the inventor on a patent for his first handbrake design for Alstom. The United States Patent and Trademark Office granted the patent on December 6, 2005. Some of their other products and customers through the years include: wire and spring-making machinery for Angelica Spring Company; oil and water separation components for Dresser-Rand; production machinery for Jasper Engines; and fixtures and tooling for NASCAR race teams owned by Petty Enterprises, Joe Gibbs, Bill Davis, Robert Yates, and Labonte Racing. Products designed and built by PR Engine Science, Inc. can be found all-across the United States and in other countries such as Australia, France, Germany, and South Africa. Paul had at times employed each of his four brothers-Victor, Wayne, Jerry, and Martin-in one capacity or another. Wayne was Paul’s right-hand man and precision machinist for 15 years. Although the number of employees had varied through the years, Paul and Robin have been running the corporation on their own since early 2000, continuing to specialize in custom machining and serve the needs of businesses locally and across the country. They celebrated the company’s 30th anniversary in November 2006. More recently the 2025 Season of the Angelica Cruise Night was dedicated in honor of his passing as the Paul Robbins Memorial Car Show to commemorate all he did for the field and Angelica. (Unfortunately, no photos were available at launch time of this tour.)