Reading the notes about Kjell Qvale off of the website www.mangusta.net yeilds
the following strange connection to our LBC's:
In 1947, Kjell Qvale laid the foundation for British Motor Car Distributors,
Ltd. (BMCD), based upon his passion for the MG sports car. He quickly
became a leading promoter of the sports car movement in America and
introduced many people to the thrilling experience of driving the unique
MG. He soon aspired to open the first MG distributorship on the West
Coast and built a customer base by personally demonstrating and
test-driving the new MG.
<snip>
Headquarters for BMCD were established in San Francisco. In the years
that followed, BMCD became the largest single distributor of English
automobiles in the US, including MG, Austin Healey, Triumph, Jaguar,
Jensen, Lotus, Rolls-Royce and Bentley.
In 1968, BMCD was awarded the rights to import and distribute British
Leyland vehicles in Los Angeles, Arizona, Nevada and Utah markets. The
company set up facilities in Southern California and carefully selected
over 50 dealers in the southwestern US. The dealers were given the full
line of British Leyland vehicles to sell, and dedicated exclusive facilities
to the brand.
<snip>
In 1970, Kjell Qvale purchase Jensen Motors, Ltd., of West Bromwich,
England. Mr. Qvale was responsible for the successful introduction of the
Jensen Interceptor III. However, an important reason for Qvale's
purchase of Jensen was to produce a totally new sports car, the Jensen
Healey - a project on which Donald Healey and Kjell Qvale collaborated.
During the design and tooling of the Jensen Healey, the Interceptor was
imported and distributed in the US by Jensen Motors, Inc., a subsidiary
of BMCD. When the Healey was ready, it too was brought to the US.
Jensen Motors established a network of 45 dealers throughout the US
and Canada. Many BMCD dealers were awarded the Jensen franchise,
depending on sales success, profitability, and ability to market the new
line of cars.
>>> Roger Cotting <rbc@ili.net> 10/17/00 01:21PM >>>
The Mangusta is produced by Qvale because their agreement with De Tomaso went
south. It costs about $80,000 and is not particularly beautiful. There was a
test of ti in either Car & Driver or Automobile in the last two months.
Roger Cotting
Larry Miller wrote:
> I was at the ALMS and Trans-Am races at Laguna Seca this past weekend and
> spotted a Qvale Mangusta parked near the security trailer. It is a Ford
> powered Italian job. I was told that DeTomaso has something to do with it.
>
> Anybody know anything about this car?
>
> There is a Qvale race car that runs in the ALMS and I know that Kjell Qvale
> had a hand in the design of Laguna Seca and was the first MG dealer in
> Northern California.
>
> I've never heard of them producing a street car though.
>
> So far a web search has not turned up anything on this particular car.
>
> Larry Miller
> http://www.ado13.com
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