BMWs were hardly known at the time in the American market. In a modest, 3,000-square-foot structure, Lee Maas took a chance and founded Classic BMW, the first BMW dealership in the Dallas region.
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The purchase was touted as the “merging of two great family companies” by Sewell, which now owns 18 Texas dealerships.
With the addition of Classic BMW and MINI of Plano from the Dallas Maas family, Sewell Automotive Companies has increased the number of automobile dealerships it operates in North Texas.
In Richardson, Lee Maas established the Classic BMW dealership, the first BMW store in the Dallas area, in 1971. According to the Maas family, the dealership has expanded into one of the largest BMW dealerships in the nation and is now co-located on a 24-acre complex in Plano with MINI of Plano.
The BMW and MINI dealerships will now be owned and run by the Sewell family, another illustrious family in the Dallas automobile industry, fifty years after its original inception.
Carl Sewell III, president of Sewell and the grandson of the company’s founder Carl Sewell Sr., stated in a statement that “in many respects, this is the marriage of two great family brands.”
Although Fast Track Racing LLC, a racing team owned by the Maas family, is not a part of the agreement, neither party has divulged its financial details.
According to Eric Maas, president of Classic BMW, Sewell contacted the Maas family about buying the dealership through the auto retail investment banking firm Presidio Group LLC.
According to Maas, “My family wouldn’t consider selling unless we were confident that our tradition of taking good care of our clients and staff would be perpetuated at the same high standard.”
Nearly all of North Texas’ largest dealership sales in recent years have been conducted by Presidio Group. Presidio assisted Park Place Dealerships in its $735 million sale to Asbury Automotive Group of eight Texas dealerships. In a deal that is anticipated to increase Lithia Motors’ annual income by $1.1 billion, it also provided advice to John Eagle Dealerships on the sale of six dealerships to Lithia.
The Texas dealership market was “very hot” at the time Presidio Group announced the John Eagle transaction. According to Kerrigan Advisors’ The Blue Sky Report, dealerships were generally more profitable last year despite inventory shortages and revenue losses.
The report predicts that this year’s deal activity will increase as a result of Texas’s high demand for autos and its “tremendous availability to financing.”
Sewell now has 18 dealerships around Texas that sell brands including Audi, BMW, Buick, Cadillac, GMC, INFINITI, Jaguar, Land Rover, Lexus, and more thanks to the most recent acquisition.
THE SEWELL
Our first emphasis has been developing relationships rather than peddling cars and trucks for more than a century. Our goal is to create “Customers for Life.” Our dealerships have sold cars to generations of clients. How we treat one another and other people is the key. Sewell remains the same privately held company that it has always been. It’s never “simply business,” and there’s always a strong emphasis on building enduring ties and a sense of family. 18 dealerships in Austin, Dallas-Fort Worth, Houston, and San Antonio offer our services.
Timeline of Classic BMW Company History
The Rapp-Motorenwerke GmbH, which started making aviation engines in 1913, is where the current BMW AG got its start.
Bayerische Motoren Werke GmbH is known as BMW. In 1917, the Munich company Rapp-Motorenwerke was transformed into BMW.
The BMW insignia, which integrates the colors of the Bavarian state, has been proudly featured on each of the company’s products since 1917.
The banker Camillo Castiglioni purchased engine production together with the personnel and production facilities, the firm name, and the blue and white emblem after the company was sold to Knorr Bremse AG in 1920.
Later, in 1922, BMW AG gave BFW control of its engine building operations, including the business and brand names.
The German government began providing significant financial support for the development of airplanes in 1933.
Next to the well-known BMW reproduction of the 1939 328 is the stunning and unique yellow 507 that was painted to match the owner’s wife’s favorite scarf a few years ago.
The facility has undergone major expansion for the purpose of manufacturing aircraft engines by 1941.
As was the situation with the Berlin plant, “stopgap” production, primarily of home appliances, began in Milbertshofen in 1945.
At the 1961 Frankfurt Motor Show, BMW unveiled the 1500 model, which fills a market void.
A car enthusiast and manager of Rodger Meier Cadillac and Friendly Chevrolet named Lee Maas noticed that Dallas lacked any BMW stores back in 1971.
In 1973, BMW first formed its own sales organization in France.
BMW AG established the Forschungs- und Innovationszentrum (also known as the FIZ) in Munich in 1986 as a central location for all research and development activities.
The Z1 Roadster, which went into series production in 1988, was one of the first significant projects for BMW Technik GmbH.
The Board of Management made the decision to buy the Rover Group in the UK in the beginning of 1994, with the Supervisory Board’s support, in order to broaden its model lineup.
In memory of Eberhard von Kuenheim, the Eberhard von Kuenheim Foundation was founded in 2000.
Rolls-Royce introduced the redesigned Phantom in 2003 following a protracted development period.
Due to tremendous global demand, initial production estimates of 100,000 units annually more than doubled to over 230,000 units in 2007.
The new Rolls-Royce Ghost announces the coming of a second model family in September 2009.
Did Sewell purchase an old BMW?
/PRNewswire/ – PLANO, Texas, October 11, 2021 — On October 4, 2021, Classic BMW and MINI of Plano was purchased by Sewell Automotive Companies. On October 5, 2021, Sewell BMW MINI of Plano opened for business.
When did Sewell become a classic BMW?
Through the acquisition of Classic BMW in October 2021, Sewell extends their reputation of exceptional care to even more BMW owners in the Dallas-Fort Worth region.
Who in the world possesses the most vintage vehicles?
The top 100 collectors were then ranked using strict criteria (collection worth, historical significance of the cars, prizes from classic car shows, etc.). Evert Louwman, a European, wins The Classic Car Trust’s yearly rankings for the first time ever. The latter is the owner of the renowned Louwman museum in the Netherlands with more than 230 collector cars. The remaining members of the top 10 are all Americans, demonstrating the global appeal of really attractive automobiles. Keep in mind the significance of pre-war and immediately post-war vehicles within these renowned collections.
Who is Auto Classic Perth’s owner?
Auto dealer network Regent Motors has purchased the majority of Bob Peters’ shares in the BMW dealership Auto Classic.
The Tyson Sutton-led Regent will acquire 70% of the Victoria Park company as part of the agreement, which was first reported in WestBusiness last month. Mr. Peters will retain 30% of the company and ownership of the real estate.
Darrin Brandon, the owner of the Auto Classic dealer, sold his 20% ownership to Regent as part of the arrangement. The dealership will still be managed by Mr. Brandon.
The deal’s terms were not made public, although business analysts have pegged the company’s value at between $30 million and $40 million.
The transaction comes after Mr. Peters, 72, sold Burswood Honda to the DVG Automotive Group, owned by the Divirgilio brothers, last year.
The billionaire, who is also a well-known breeder and owner of racehorses, said that his company, Peters Investments, had sold off its automobile assets to concentrate more on real estate ownership.
Mr. Peters disagreed that running an independent dealership had become more challenging as a result of the trend toward industry consolidation.
He stated, “Moving from the motor vehicle business, which I’ve been in for 50 or so years, into industrial and commercial property ownership is merely part of my business strategy. Its business model is more passive.
The Van Helvoort family founded and owns a portion of Regent, which has 15 dealerships in Perth, rural Western Australia, and Darwin.
What BMW model is the oldest?
First BMW vehicle The company’s initial product was the BMW 3/15, which was manufactured first as a “Dixi” car between 1927 and 1929 and then as a BMW between July 1929 and March 1932.
Does Tim Allen own vintage automobiles?
Although Tim Allen may own more cars than is necessary, nobody is upset about it. From a 1933 Ford Roadster that he built on the set of Home Improvement to a 1965 Shelby Cobra S/C, he shares his private garage with an eclectic collection of genuine American automobiles.
What is the name of BMW in Germany?
Bavarian Motor Works is the entire name of the company, which is a bit of a mouthful ( Read more: The BMW name and its history)
Who has the largest collection of vintage cars?
With over 7,000 vehicles and an estimated worth of over $5 billion, the 29th Sultan of Brunei’s collection of automobiles is the greatest private automobile collection in the world. Due to their scarcity and high price, the Sultan’s collection of Ferrari F40s, McLaren F1s, and Rolls-Royce automobiles stands out among his other automobiles.
Why is BMW known as a Beamer?
The moniker “Beamer” originated in Britain and was originally used to set it apart from a British manufacturer* whose motorcycles went by the moniker “Beezer.” However, BMW motorbikes have had considerable success in British motorsport, particularly at the “Isle of Man TT Races.”
Who owns the Sewell dealerships?
The fourth generation of the Sewell family, comprised of Jacquelin Sewell and Carl Sewell III, is currently in charge of the 108-year-old business that Carl Sewell Sr. founded in 1911. When Carl Sr. was 14 years old, he began giving driving lessons to farmers who bought Model T Ford kits from the hardware store in Arlington, Texas, where he was working for his father. And so the renowned Sewell service philosophy was born.
Which automobiles does Arnold Schwarzenegger drive?
The Military Approach The bodybuilder-turned-actor drives a Hummer H1, Mercedes-Benz Unimog, a Hummer H1 Slant Back, and a former military Dodge M37. And it only seems sense that the former Mr. Olympia would own a number of vehicles with military themes given his varied duties in the military.
On his list of collectibles, there is one vehicle in his collection that would be superior to all others. He owns this M47 Patton tank for himself. Yes, a tank—you heard that right! Furthermore, it is a fully functional mega-machine and not just a showpiece.
But in addition to his military-style vehicles, the Terminator actor also owns a variety of sports, antique, and classic automobiles. The Bugatti Veyron is the most impressive sports car Schwarzenegger possesses in terms of strength, speed, and appearance.
The Porsche Turbo, a specially constructed Audi R8, the Bentley Continental GT SuperSports Convertible, the Mercedes-Benz SLS AMG Roadster, and a Bentley Continental GTC are some of the other fast automobiles that the Austrian Oak has. The former governor of California also owns a first-generation Tesla Roadster, an electric vehicle.
One muscle car is all that the man best known for his bodybuilding skills owns. The Dodge Challenger SRT is that vehicle.