Kjell Kvale

Since emigrating from his home country of Norway to the United States in 1929, Kjell Qvale has built an accomplished career and name for himself in the car import/manufacturing business. Kjell Qvale’s legacy and dedication to the industry have been carried on in the former car company Qvale Motors, sold in 2003, and the sleek, stylish, and rare Qvale Mangusta convertible.

 

The first distributor for Jaguar on the Pacific West Coast and a co-founder of the San Francisco Auto Show, Kjell Qvale was an early pioneer in importing British vehicles to the United States, beginning his operations in the mid-1940s. From his dealership in San Francisco, Kjell Qvale sold high-end models from MG, Austin Motor Corporation, Morris Motor Company, Jaguar, and Rolls-Royce. The phenomenal growth of Kjell Qvale’s privately owned British Motor Car Distributors, Ltd. led to new dealerships up and down the West Coast operating under Kjell Qvale’s management. In addition, Kjell Qvale opened his business up to non-British vehicles, adding brands like Volkswagen, Porsche, De Tomaso, Maserati, and Lamborghini to the lineup. During his 50 years in the imported automobile business, Kjell Qvale sold 36 different brands of cars.

 

In 1998, Kjell Qvale worked closely with his sons Bruce and Jeff to purchase the rights to design and produce a high-performance sports car they renamed the Qvale Mangusta. During a three-year period, 284 of Kjell Qvale’s Qvale Mangustas rolled off the assembly line. In 1997, Kjell Qvale celebrated his 50th year in the imported car industry, a journey that began with selling the MG-TC model at his first import car dealership in San Bruno, California.

SFGate Article About Kjell Qvale

Kjell Qvale

Kjell Qvale - Naymz