Pub. 2 2020-2021 Issue 3

25 California. To pay for college, he bought cars cheaply and recondi- tioned and sold them on a lot near USC. He kept track of all purchases and sales of all brands and analyzed the data until he had a much better sense of the value of each make and model. He circulated his list to deal- ers who began to use his list to show customers the true value of their vehicles. Needing space to grow, he moved his operations to Main Street, then Broadway, then Olive and finally, to the corner of Figueroa and Pico (currently the L.A. Convention Center). Kelly’s Kars became the largest used car operation in the world, and Les Kelley’s Blue Book became the Bible of used car pricing. 3 California’s First Auto Show The first auto show in California took place in Los Angeles in 1907 when the Motor Car Dealers voted to organize “an Automobile Show this winter.” 4 According to the Los Angeles Times, the dealers “ask for no aid from the manufacturer associations and stand on their own feet entirely. 5 They decided to conduct the show at the CONTINUED ON PAGE 26 Morley Skating Rink on Grand Avenue near the new auto row of bicycle and automobile dealerships. 6 The show opened with a large parade of vehicles, and prizes were offered to the best-decorated cars. 7 Dozens of electricians busily installed more than 10,000 electric lighting units strung in long festoons over the ceiling. The dealers scheduled 200 salesmen to answer questions from customers who paid 50 cents to gain admission. Music was pro- vided on the first night by the Ladies Mandolin Orchestra and the Royal Hawaiian Sextet. 8 Ninety-nine cars were displayed the first night. Henry Ford appeared at the show, and its attendance was so high that dealers considered extending it for another week. However, every car on display had been sold and was promised for delivery on Monday, so the idea was abandoned. 9 For several years the dealers managed all aspects of the auto show. But as it became larger and more complicated, they hired a staff professional in 1920 to lead the event. L.A. Auto Show originated with the dealers, not the carmakers. Dealers Who Made a Difference William K. Cowan William K. Cowan’s career shows how the bicycle opened the way to the automobile. In 1892 Cowan partici- pated in organized bike races in the Los Angeles region. 10 He formed a bi- cycle club and managed the Rambler Bicycle Shop on Spring Street, renting bikes and selling them for cash and installments. 11 He was deeply im- pressed with the first automobiles and claimed to be the first person to sell a car in Los Angeles in 1899. 12 Within a few years Cowan owned the Rambler Bicycle shop, and when Rambler started making cars, Cowan began selling them. 13 Cowan was a founding member of the Southern California Automobile Club in 1903 and the founding president of the Motor Car Dealers Association of Los Angeles in 1905. 14 Don Lee Don Lee demonstrated how early dealers experimented with new ways to reach auto buyers. 15 Lee built an elegant new showroom to attract af- fluent customers, and when Cadillac expanded his area to the entire state of California, he opened new show- rooms in Pasadena, San Francisco and Oakland in 1912. Cadillac offered women something quite useful in 1911: the electric self- starter. In his advertising, Lee capital- ized on this new feature to attract female motorists. Like other dealers, Lee invested heavily in newspaper advertising, but he was especially in- terested in radio and bought KFRC in San Francisco and KHJ in Los Angeles one year later. His station featured live music and actors who pitched Cadillac. Lee even started a televi- sion studio, one of the first of its kind, at Don Lee Cadillac in downtown Los Angeles in 1931. The Federal Radio Commission granted a license to sta- tion W6XAO-TV, and it took to the air in December 1931, broadcasting one hour a day, six days a week. Don Lee was a visionary who identi- fied new opportunities that soon became standard features of auto retailing in America. Lee was also a founding member of the Motor Car Dealers Association of Los Angeles. Paul G. Hoffman Paul Hoffman’s story reads like the American Dream. Born in a suburb of Chicago in 1891, young Hoffman was fascinated by the automobile. He got a job repairing cars and, after six months, was promoted to sales. In 1911 he moved to L.A. and sold Studebakers in downtown Los Angeles. A prodigious salesperson, one month he made $1,000 in com- missions. In 1912 Hoffman entered an essay contest for Studebaker salespersons. His essay, “How to Sell Studebaker Automobiles,” won first prize, and Hoffman was invited to South Bend, Indiana, where he met with Mr. Studebaker.