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Bill Jacobs — auto dealer, classic-car collector — dies at 55
Posted by Shia K. at 9/9/2010 10:00 AM CDT
Bill Jacobs, chairman of the south suburban auto empire, was making plans to take part in next week's Colorado Grand, a road rally that begins and ends in Beaver Creek, Colo., and spans a thousand miles through the Rockies.
"He enjoyed the people on the rally, but he really just loved driving cars. It was about the vehicle and being on the road," said his wife, Linda.
Mr. Jacobs died at his home in Hinsdale on Sunday after battling a rare form of lung cancer for nearly seven years. He was 55.
The son of an auto dealer, he began his business in Joliet with a dealership purchased by his father. The younger Mr. Jacobs was 23 at the time, making him the youngest large-volume Chevrolet dealer ever appointed by General Motors, according to his office.
He would go on to build a franchise that includes dealerships in Naperville, Hinsdale and Hoffman Estates, selling everything from BMWs and Mini Cooper convertibles to Land Rovers and Kias. The company has nearly 500 employees and logged $300 million in annual sales last year.
A behind-the-scenes kind of boss, Mr. Jacobs "liked his employees to shine," Denise Guardino, president of the Bill Jacobs Motorsport Group, said, adding that he'd send e-mails and texts offering congratulations on a good month in sales or a compliment for a job well-done.
Mr. Jacobs also was known for his extensive collection of classic cars, which he also took on road rallies around the country. In an interview in 2008, he told me how he favored the refurbished models— including a 1952 Ferrari 212 Barchetta — to the BMW and Land Rover that he used every day, because it reminded him of his childhood.
"It's all about the design. At the end of the day, that's what sells cars," he said then. "Practicality goes out the window when someone falls in love with the design of a car."
Along with his wife, Mr. Jacobs is survived by sons William, Kevin, Maximilian and Clayton; and mother, Jeanne.
If you frequent the Bill Jacobs dealership.. pass along your condolences...
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'05 MCc - BRG/G - LUCK 729 / MMC #255 - Flickr Chicago MINI Motoring Club - Club Officer / C.O.R.N.; High Plains Motoring Society; STL MINIs
Last edited by MiniMac2005; 09-12-2010 at 07:39 PM.
Reason: added link...
2009 fJCW BamaCooperS's ole Red
Where did it go?
