Used Car News 1/7/13

Association Raises Cash for Sick Boy

By Jeffrey Bellant

The Ohio Independent Automobile Dealers Association recently named its Quality Dealer of the Year, but an eight-year-old boy stole the show.

The Ohio IADA named Jef Smiley, of Smiley Automotive in Norwalk, Ohio, as the Quality Dealer of the Year during its recent convention.

“He’s just a regular guy,” said Ohio IADA executive director James Mitchell. “But he does so much and supports his community and church.”

But the highlight of the event was what dealers did for London Maynard, who sufers from non-Hodgkin lymphoma, Mitchell said. Mitchell said he recently learned about the boy’s struggle from John Fitzgerald, a salesman at Hugh White Honda in Colum-

bus. Fitzgerald had served with London’s dad, Larry, during the Vietnam War.

The pair had pledged that if they made it home safely, they would be there for each other if needed.

So Maynard told Fitzgerald about his son. Fitzgerald asked Mitchell to send a notice out to members to see if folks would pray for London and send him cards.

“(London) is fighting the fight of his life,” Mitchell said.

London recently underwent a bone marrow transplant and was recovering at the Ronald McDonald House with his mother in Columbus, Ohio, at press time.

So a planned fundraiser for the association’s PAC and a charity turned into an impromptu benefit for London instead, Mitchell said.

“This thing took on a life of it’s own,” he said.

Mark Reis, a guitar tech and musician who has toured with some of rock’s biggest bands, has worked with drummer Joe Vitale and Mitchell to raise funds for his charity and the Ohio IADA.

He provided several items of memorabilia for the event. One item was a race jacket worn by Dale Earnhardt Jr.

Mark Meadows, co-owner with the 2011 National

Quality Dealer of the year Mike D’Andrea of Miracle Motor Mart, won the jacket with a top bid of $2,500. But after paying his money, he dona ted the jacket back to be re-auctioned. The second time it raised an additional $4,000, Mitchell said.

Other items, including Eagles concert t-shirts signed by the band members, were also auctioned of

Then a dealer put a $20 bill in a bucket and passed it around to raise more money.

In the end, the association’s members raised more than $15,000 for London, Mitchell said.

“I could not believe what I was watching,” Mitchell said.

Tim Swift, a past president of the National Independent Automobile Dealers Association, was at the event and said it was a special moment.

“I was sitting a table away from the father and I can tell you it was a very moving moment to watch as the money came in,” Swift said.

“I also had the opportunity to talk with Larry (the father) later and he was absolutely beside himself at the generosity of the Ohio dealers and sponsors.” Mitchell said dealers showed again how much they care.

The group also gave Alexis Jacobs of Columbus Fair Auto Auction its first Lifetime Achievement Award. Jacobs, among her other achievements, founded the association as the Automobile Dealers Alliance of Ohio in 1985.

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Toyota Pays for Late Recalls

The U.S. Department of Transportation’s National Highway Trafc Safety Administration (NHTSA) announced that Toyota Motor Corp. has agreed to pay $17.35 million, the maximum fine allowable under the law, in response to the agency’s assertion that the automaker failed to report a safety defect to the federal government in a timely manner.

This action represents the single highest civil penalty amount ever paid to NHTSA for violations stemming from a recall.

regarding the trend, and a month later Toyota advised NHTSA that it was aware of 63 alleged incidents of possible floor mat pedal entrapment in model year 2010 Lexus RX 350s since 2009.

Toyota’s own factory technicians and dealer technicians reported that certain alleged incidents of unwanted acceleration had been caused by floor mat pedal entrapment.

In June, Toyota advised NHTSA that it would conduct a recall of 154,036 model year 2010 Lexus RX

NEWS BRIEFS

Veteran Salespeople Sell More Cars

NADA University, the education and training arm of the National Automobile Dealers Association, has unveiled an all-new industry report covering car and truck dealership employee compensation, benefits, retention and turnover, and hours of

operation and work schedules.

The study included some findings about the used-car department.

One is that there is a positive connection between years of tenure and increased new- and used-vehicle sales.

Also, increasing dealership usedvehicle sales has a smaller impact on

MILESTONES

Former auction owner Jacob B. “Jake” Hershey, 90, died Dec. 14.

He was the husband of Esther M. (McConahy) Hershey, to whom he was married 67 years.

Hershey was the former president, co-founder and chairman of the board of the Pennsylvania Auto Dealers Exchange in Strinestown.

He was past president of the Eastern Auto Auction Association and was inducted into the National Auto Auction Association Hall of Fame in 1996. In addition to his wife, Jake is survived by three sons, Jacob E. Hershey and his wife Ruth of York, John M. Hershey of Clifton Park, N.Y., and Wendell K. Hershey and his wife Laura of York; four grandchildren, eight great grandchildren, and a sister Rhea Grissinger of New Oxford.

Don Meadows, president and chief executive ofcer of Auto Auction Services Corp., and one of the

original founders of AutoIMS, died Dec. 10.

A long time car guy and trained mechanic, Meadows transitioned to the remarketing aspect of the business while living in Chicago, where he led remarketing for a number of years at Donlen.

That experience led to his opportunity to build AutoIMS from the ground up with other industry leaders.

Meadows was an avid cyclist and glass artist. One of his original glass beads traveled into space in 2010 on one of the last space shuttle missions in conjunction with the Beads of Courage charity.

compensation than increasing newvehicle sales.

Dealertrack Adds Volvo Dealertrack Technologies and Volvo Car Financial Services announced that Volvo Car Financial Services has become a lender on the Dealertrack Credit Application Network.

Dealertrack is the exclusive credit application network through which Volvo’s 311 dealers in the United States can submit credit applications to Volvo Car Financial Services, the captive automotive financial services subsidiary for Volvo Cars.

Volvo dealers also use Dealer-

track’s Mobile Sales and F&I app to track their Volvo Financial Services activity. The app supports dealers’ eforts to securely manage and monitor the status of consumer credit applications and contract activities in real-time from their mobile devices.

Expert Releases Book

Dale Pollak, founder of vAuto, announced the release of “Velocity Overdrive: The Road to Reinvention.”

The book that addresses eforts by dealers to increase profitability in a market where tighter margins are the ‘new norm.’

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Editorial:

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Contributing Writers: Emily Caswell, Sheila McGrath, Jenny KIng Columnist: Tony Moorby

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Used Car News is published the first and third Monday of each month. Subscribers: We print advertisements as sent to us by auctions and other advertisers. It is not possible to verify the correctness of listed vehicles in auction ads. Most lists are partial and all lists are subject to last minute changes by auto auctions, so before travelling a long distance for a particular auto auction event, contact the auction by telephone for a fax of vehicles in the sale. Used Car News assumes no guarantees or liabilities concerning the accuracy of any advertisements. All Rights Reserved. Reproduction in any form is prohibited without the written consent of the publisher.

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More Stock Lots Online

By Jenny King

When it comes to building inventory, improved technology, personal experience and satisfactory results have combined in recent years to boost dealer confidence in online buying.

But whether a dealer stands in the lane at the auction or bids from an ofce hundreds of miles away, it’s all about the cars, said Erik Kibler, general sales manager at Manheim.

“Inventories today are restricted and dealers are forced to look at various (supply) channels because they need cars.”

Dealers are resilient businesspeople and they are resourceful, he said.

“Because they are always looking for ways to increase profits, they have led the way - including in online buying,” Kibler said.

Kibler said close to 25 percent of Manheim auction transactions are online. And they are in “continuous growth,” he said.

Though he did not have numbers at hand, Mark Chalfant at Manheim Arena in Bolingbrook, Ill., said even in two years there has been a “big

increase” in online sales. Another Midwest auction suggested as many as half its sales are online.

“Five years ago online sales were single digit or, at most, 10 percent of sales,” Kibler said.

Only 10 years ago dealers were saying they wouldn’t buy online, said Todd O’Connell, executive director at the Colorado Independent Automobile Dealers Association.

“There are still lots of live bodies at the Denver auction though Internet transactions are increasing, O’Connell said.

Online buying benefits some dealers more than others, he said.

“Buy-here, pay-here dealers looking to buy $5,000 cars are taking much more of a risk buying online,” O’Connell said.

Online buying has opened up the whole nation to dealers, he said.

Not everyone is into extensive online transactions. Montana dealers want to touch, see and feel vehicles before buying them, said Jim Robinson, executive director of the Montana Independent Automobile Dealers Association in Miles City, Mont.

“Our dealers will drive from 30 to 600 miles to go to the auction,” Robinson said. “They have their favorites, like Billings on Wednesday and Spokane on Thursday.”

Continued on page 6

Online

- continued from page 5

Some might continue on to Seattle, he said, sell the cars they’ve been driving and fly home. The same goes for the Denver-Las Vegas-Phoenix loop, Robinson said.

Kibler said a major reason for the increase in online sales is the auctions’ ability to resolve issues.

“If there is a problem,” he said, “we are an advocate on behalf of either the buyer or the seller.”

Salt Lake City and Louisiana.”

Distance buying can help overcome market inefciencies, Schmid added.

Perl’s website boasts, “Best prices anywhere.”

Buying online from various geographic areas helps Schmid take advantage of local pricing.

“Physical auctions won’t go away,” Kibler said.

“In-lane sales are part of the fabric of the marketplace.”

Praising Manheim’s vehicle condition reports, Cofeyville, Kan., dealer John Schmid at Perl Auto Center said he likes the fact that online he can “attend several regional sales at the same time, like Denver,

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But the bottom line is dealers are searching all channels to find the right car at the right price, he said.

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Used Car Prices to Ease in 2013

Higher retail sales mean more vehicles in the wholesale markets. That will lead to somewhat lower prices, but they will still seem high to most dealers.

Most industry watchers expect new-car sales to top 15 million this year for the first time since 2008.

Used-car sales should continue rising as well. Tom Kontos, ADESA’s executive vice president of analytical services, expects dealer sales to reach 30 million.

Kontos said franchise dealers should reach a one-toone ratio of new and used car sales, a more normal level than they’ve seen in the past decade.

The increase in auto sales means the long wholesale drought will continue easing. Supply should continue increasing this year thanks, in part to an increase in retail sales, but more because of a rise in vehicles coming of-lease.

Of-lease units were sparse for two reasons in the past few years, both of which will change this year.

One is that lease originations were greatly diminished during the worst of the financial crisis. The other is that high prices at auction made it more economical for consumers and franchise

dealers to buy vehicles at end-of-term.

Lower wholesale prices will bring more of those cars to auction.

But dealers shouldn’t expect a return to pre-recession pricing at auction.

“Pricing will still be high by historical standards,” said Tom Webb, Manheim’s chief economist.

Webb said incentives for both consumers and fleet customers kept used-car prices unrealistically low for years.

Dealers can expect fewer big hits, Webb said, where they get a steal at auction and sell it for a large margin.

Mistakes, however, will prove more costly than in the past.

That’s why dealers need to invest in an inventory management system, Webb said.

Kontos recommends dealers continue shopping online, but he said those who fell out of the habit of visiting auctions in person might want to start making the trip again.

Jesse Toprak, vice president of industry trends and insights for TrueCar.com, said that makes it more crucial that dealers know what to buy, how to price and promote their inventory and when to cut their losses.

“Optimization is the key word,” he said.

Alec Gutierrez, senior market analyst of automotive insights for Kelley Blue Book, warns dealers to avoid reacting to sudden swings in the market.

For example, many stocked up on compacts in 2008 when gas prices peaked and were stuck with unwanted inventory in the next months.

Gutierrez said consumers still want fuel-efcient vehicles, but for overall cost considerations. Wages remain low and fuel makes up a major expense for used-car buyers.

There are some good options to meet this demand, Gutierrez said. Manufacturers have increased their oferings for compact cars. They may have increased by too much, said Black

Book editor Ricky Beggs. There are now 19 diferent manufacturers producing compact cars. That’s probably more than consumer demand.

There are also 20 diferent manufacturers producing compact crossovers, but those should find more buyers, Beggs said. One reason is today’s compact crossover is bigger than it was a few years ago.

Regulators Turn Eyes to Auto Sales

Dealers have spent a lot of time worrying about increased regulation and enforcement for the past few years. This year, they can keep on worrying.

Many dealers believed they received a pass when much of what they do was excluded from the new Consumers Financial Protection Bureau. But the Federal Trade Commission showed in the past year that it plans on taking its expanded oversight of auto retailing very seriously.

“They’re both going to have a lot of activity in 2013,” said Patricia Covington, an attorney with Hudson Cook.

“It’s an intense environment to run a car dealership in right now.”

The CFPB only oversees buy-here, pay-here dealers.

Traditional dealer funding operations were excluded following an expensive battle during the agency’s creation.

Many at the CFPB are un-

ant for car dealers. Covington said the CFPB has a more aggressive, enforcement-minded culture than the FTC.

She said several staf

auto finance, with special attention paid to equal opportunity issues.

Another major focus of the CFPB is sharing information among state attorneys

“It’s an intense environment to run a car dealership in right now.”

Patricia Covington

introduce new buy-here, pay-here regulations. Covington said Massachusetts was one likely state.

The best response to the increased regulatory attention is appointing a compliance ofcer.

Covington said dealers should look for somebody who is detail oriented. This person needs to keep up with the latest moves by the regulators through their website and any other sources available.

happy about the exclusion, Covington said, and may start a push to have it removed. They have a champion in the Senate now with the election of Elizabeth Warren, the CFPB’s architect.

That could prove unpleas-

members took pay cuts to return to the FTC because they disliked that culture.

The CFPB will create more pressure on all car dealers this year even with the limits on its scope. That’s because the bureau will take a longer look at

general and other consumer agencies. This means dealers can expect additional attention from their state AGs as they pursue trends they see in other regions.

There is also the possibility some state legislators will follow California’s lead and

Ken Shilson, founder of the National Alliance of Buy-Here, Pay-Here Dealers, also recommends designating somebody at the store to handle consumer complaints.

This person needs to actively monitor the Internet in addition to fielding direct complaints.

CarMax Keeps Growing

Used-car superstore chain CarMax Inc. continues moving into new markets.

The company added two stores in Denver in the past couple of months.

The first store is located at 2600 West 104th Avenue in Federal Heights.

The store is more than 27,000 square-feet, employs more than 65 associates and stocks about 300 used vehicles.

The newest CarMax is located at 5850 South Broadway in Littleton, Colo.

The store is 27,000-square-feet,

occupies more than nine acres, employs more than 65 associates and stocks 250 to 350 used vehicles.

This location, along with the 104th Avenue store, combines new technology and design featuring wireless technology, videos, digital displays and tablets.

Earlier last fall, CarMax opened its first auto superstore in the Des Moines, Iowa, market.

Located at 10315 Hickman Road in Urbandale, the store is more than 44,000 square feet, employs more than 60 associates and stocks about 300 used vehicles.

Police Arrest Consignment Dealer For Embezzlement

A California dealer faces charges of embezzling more than $3 million from unsuspecting customers looking to buy or sell Lamborghinis, Ferraris, Rolls Royces, and other high-end vehicles from his store in Costa Mesa.

Farhad Ebadat, is charged with multiple felonies and allegations for aggravated white collar crime

dealership specializing in high-end luxury vehicles including Audi Spider, BMW, Ferrari, Lamborghini, Lexus, Lotus, Maserati, Porsche and Rolls Royce. During this time, Ebadat is accused of defrauding victims wanting to sell their high-end vehicles by falsely claiming he would sell their cars on consignment, pay the owners and transfer the car titles to the purchasers.

He is accused of selling cars worth $25,000 to $225,000 on consignment and then diverting the payments received to his own personal accounts.

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TIMES ARE SHIFTING...

who’s ready for what’s next?

RETAIL MARKETS

MARYLAND

Joe Eikenberg, Jr., president, Aero Motors, Essex, Md.:

“Our dealership will have been in business 60 years in February.

“We have just one location.

“We keep somewhere between 100 to 120 vehicles on the lot.

“On average, we’re selling in the mid-40s each month.

For the first six months of 2012, we were at a record pace. Then it started to deteriorate in July and continued through October, prior to the election. It picked back up in November to normal, or above-normal, pace.

There was a lot of angst going into the election.

“The efect of Hurricane Sandy has been on supply and prices, though it didn’t (hit us).

“We source our vehicles from local auctions.

“We do a blend of bank, cash and buy-here, pay-here business.

“The average model-yearrange is four years and older. The average mileage is under 80,000. It’s been a big

challenge (finding lowermileage inventory).

“Our inventory has more domestics than imports, though it’s a fairly good mix between the two types. The inventory is probably 60 percent cars and 40 percent trucks/SUVs and various types of multipurpose vehicles.

“We specialize in vehicles that retail for under $10,000.

“Our reconditioning costs have gone up.

“It has to do with the supply issue. Because of the supply issue, additional reconditioning is required on a lot of these vehicles.

“Our primary marketing is done on the Internet. We also do some magazine advertising. Plus we get repeat and referral business all the time.

“But you have to have a presence on the Internet. Then the cost of that keeps going up all the time.

“We recently sold a 2001 Nissan Maxima. It had less than 70,000 miles.

“I’m holding my breath for 2013. I have no idea what’s coming. Last year (2012)

was the first year we had to lay people of “I do know expenses are going up and I know taxes are going up. Hopefully, there’s something else coming that’s going to ofset that and work favorably for us.

“Normally, we try to build up inventory, but given the supply situation, it’s been very difcult to do that. I can tell you we are looking for other revenue streams to compensate because I think the volume is going to be of a bit.”

TENNESSEE

Danny England, owner, Danny England Motors, New Tazewell, Tenn.:

“I’ve been in business 37 years.

“We have one location with two lots. Our second lot is just across the street from our first one.

“We keep between 65 and 70 vehicles on the ground at all times. We’ve increased our inventory from this time last year and maintained it. It can be challenging at times and keeps us on the road.

“We average about 25-plus

Compiled by Jeffrey Bellant

retail sales per month. That was up in 2012 compared to the previous year.

“One of the things I attribute that to is that we did a major makeover on our facilities, which we had just got done in 2011.

“The renovation doubled (the size of our facilities) at our present location. We added three ofces and created a three-car showroom.

“Our vehicles come from auctions all over the Southeast. We probably traveled outside of our normal parameters more in 2012 than we ever had before. We also do quite a bit of Internet buying.

“Our sales are straight retail, not subprime or buyhere, pay-here.

“I try to keep a 50-50 mix of cars to trucks. We’ve increased our foreign car inventory. It’s probably increased to 35 or 38 percent on the import side. For imports, we’re selling everything from Hondas to Kias, Volkswagens, Volvos, Mini Coopers. But that Kia is the vehicle right now.

“The average model year range we carry is 2009 to

2013. For mileage, we try to stay at 15,000 or below on current-year models. For the rest, we try to stay under the 50,000 to 60,000 range. It’s absolutely a challenge.

“Through 2012, my reconditioning costs kept in line with the previous year, even though we increased inventory. The reason is we’re buying a little bit later model of car than we were before, which has lower mileage. So that hasn‘t run up my recon costs.

“On average, recon costs are about $400 to $600 per car. We do that in-house. We don’t have a service shop, though we have one we endorse.

“Our advertising hasn’t changed, though our Internet presence has grown more than anything else. We use third-party Internet sellers.

“One vehicle we sold recently was a 2011 GMC crew cab 4x4 truck. It was a one-owner new-car trade. That had 7,000 miles. It sold for $37,800.

“Although inventory may still be a challenge, I think 2013 is going to be OK.”

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WHOLESALE MARKETS

IOWA

Mark Greg, owner, Plaza Auto Auction, Mt. Vernon, Iowa:

“Plaza’s been here since 1962. I purchased Plaza in 2003.

“We have the ability to run five lanes. We’re running four.

“We had dropped to three lanes this time last year, so we have increased since then.

“Our volumes have risen to 350, which is up about 50 from this time last year. I think more cars are becoming available. Dealers are slowly recovering and franchise stores are not only selling new cars, but they are selling more used cars. Some of them have even opened up second and third used-car lots.

“One recent sale we had was a 74 percent. But we’ve been hovering in the low- to mid-60s on average.

“As we’ve been running more cars, more dealers have showed up. Plus, we started a 30-day program where dealers can delay their payments up to 30 days. We’ll hold their check

for up to 30 days.

“Our mix is 80 percent consignment and 20 percent fleet-lease. When I bought Plaza Auto Auction, the mix was 95 percent dealer consignment.

“Repossessions have definitely gone up. We see banks are digging a little bit deeper and financing a little bit riskier paper. So the repos are getting edgier.

“We’ve been averaging about 220-plus dealers in the lanes. We’ve been branching out, talking to dealers. They come from about a 150-mile radius. That stretches into southern Minnesota, southern Wisconsin, into Illinois and Missouri.

“The mood of the dealers has been good.

“We’re on OVE.com. It had slowed down a bit online, but even that has picked up.

“In the lanes, the Impalas continue to be in high demand. That car in the $6,000 to $8,000 range continues to be strong. (As winter sets in) trucks will come into play.

“The hybrids have dropped of since gas pric-

es (at press time) have dropped below $3 a gallon. The hybrid-type cars are really only in play when gas hits $4 a gallon.

“Our average price overall, for fleet-lease and consignment, is about $4,200. That’s up a bit from this time last year.

“We’re definitely looking at business being good in 2013. We’re making some capital expenditures, putting new lights on the lot, laying some asphalt down and buying a new operating system. We’re putting in a new system so we can ofer some cars on ServNet’s platform.”

NEW HAMPSHIRE

David Blake, general manager, Auto Auction of New England, Londonderry, N.H.:

“The auction has been here for 18 years.

“We have six lanes and are running all six.

“Our volumes have been around 1,200 to 1,300 (in December). We were up from the same time in 2011.

The average price overall is $5,200, which is up a

Compiled by Jeffrey Bellant

little bit.

“We added some new clients, from commercial and lease accounts to new-car dealer and used-car dealer consignment.

“During the times when the volume was down, we were able to build some great relationships. So we were expecting that when the volume did increase, we’d see the fruit of our efforts.

“Our volumes are 70 percent dealer consignment and 30 percent fleet-lease. They have both increased.

“Sales percentages have been in the low 70s.

“On an average week, we draw high 800s, 900 dealers. During most of 2012, that number increased about 2 to 3 percent from 2011. But during the last 45 to 60 days (of 2012), it probably increased 10 percent from the previous year. We attribute a lot of that increase (in dealer attendance) to the shortage of vehicles in the New York-New Jersey area because of Hurricane Sandy. We’re starting to see an influx of buyers work our way from that area to refill

some of those lost units.

“We normally capture a lot of the New England area. We’re very accessible and easy for dealers to get here.

“But now we’re getting dealers from areas we normally haven’t. We recently drew some dealers from Michigan, for example.

“I just think a traditional December would see much more of a slowdown.

“Everybody seems to be pretty optimistic.

“We have an in-op sale that we run prior to the regular sale and we’ll run 15 to 40 units. We also run an oversized sale and a motor sports sale before we run the inoperable units. The motorsports includes motorcycles, RVs, boats, campers, snowmobiles, etc. The oversized units are items like a commercial box truck or dump truck. We’ll run about 10 to 15 of those usually.

“We also started a GSA account in 2012. We had six sales which included 900 units. We were told by (GSA ofcials) that they are excited to continue the sale with us in 2013.”

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Disconnected Jottings From Tony Moorby...

I have a penchant for Land Rovers. Over the years I’ve owned several and driven hundreds. I have to say that the latest iterations are beyond my financial pale and putting the Range Rover Autobiography through some

of-road paces sends shivers down my spine - $175,000 worth of magnificent machinery barging its way through the forest is anathema to me. On the other hand, an old Series 1 or 11 tilted to 37 degrees down a hill is worthy of applause.

The style of the Series and Defender is of enormous appeal to me, although their presence on normal roads resembles something akin to a warthog in a hurry. But get one of road – I used to own a ’97 Defender (in AA yellow, of course) – and its

stock, standard capabilities were nothing short of amazing; at home through mud and slime, waist-deep water, and rocks the size of Gibraltar – nothing seemed to arrest its advance. I could even drive through a three-

cache of being ‘posh.’ Wives started turning up at the supermarket in them and later to the country club. The “Hooray Henry” Brigade invented what is now known as an SUV. It shed the rubber mats for carpets, Ambla seats for leather, gained two more doors, a sunroof and so on. They had a princely presence.

miles on it and couldn’t bear the thought of parting with it. I just bought a ’95 Range Rover Classic for a project. It’s a disease!

The first “Landy” was built in 1948 based on a Jeep chassis and running gear, by a Rover Company engineer and the marque has found admiration all over the world.

fully Ford and BMW had their hands in keeping Land Rover afloat and now, along with Jaguar, an Indian maker, Tata Motors, who have committed to developing the vehicle further.

foot stream so long as I kept the speed sufcient to push a bow-wave in front but not so fast as to create a wash and flood the vehicle and its exhaust system – mine wasn’t fitted with an optional snorkel. I sold it for more than I paid for it and still regret its departure. I’ve had Range Rovers of and on since their introduction back in 1970. At first appearance their duties were still around the farm. Their popularity spread quickly to the hunting community and they soon picked up the

By Miles Mellor

The oil-rich Arabs in the mid-seventies took the thing to another level entirely. These desert-worthy vehicles were clad in West of England cloth interiors; picnic hampers designed by Gucci adorned the trunks, along with a hawking perch on the tailgate. Wood and Picket, a specialist coachbuilder much liked by Peter Sellers, made a small fortune upgrading what were basically farm trucks.

Then the factory light went on and they said, ‘We can do this’. And so they did and continue to do so, leading the charge into an all-new luxury motoring segment.

I still own a ’97 Range Rover Vitesse (yellow, of course) that I bought, almost new, from the factory with about fifteen hundred

Like the Willis and Austin Champ, Land Rover saw military service as a “General Purpose” vehicle or “GP,” later Jeep. They’ve been used as fire trucks, ambulances – almost any body imaginable has been mounted on a Land Rover frame. But its transition to the household utility vehicle and “Chelsea Tractor” status symbol has sealed its success, in spite of diferent ownership. The Rover Company became part of British Leyland. which was later owned by such conglomerates as aircraft manufacturers. Thank-

I was at the unveiling of the latest model the other evening and it’s really a remarkable vehicle with all the accouterments for a life in New York or New Guinea. And that’s the whole point of a Range Rover – go anywhere and look good doing it although, at between $85,000 and $140,000, I can’t imagine too many folks taking on rock crawling. I think a new Defender is in the works. I hope it’s a bog-basic Landy whose price reflects its appeal to of-roaders and users who appreciate the original concept. 2013 could be a banner year for Land Rover if they keep prices under the tax bracket for the super rich.

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