Kjell “Mr. Q” Qvale, a legendary powerhouse in the international motor industry, died the first weekend of November, in San Francisco at the age of 94. Qvale was the quintessential car guy, and a pioneer for more than 67 years in the introduction of European sports cars to the Western United States.
His passion for foreign vehicles inspired him to import MG, Volkswagen, Porsche, Audi and Maserati, along with virtually every other notable British manufacturer. He also ventured into manufacturing, producing his namesake sports car, the Qvale Mangusta. He commissioned racecars for the Indianapolis 500 and established San Francisco’s International Auto Show. Qvale was also one of the founders of the venerable Pebble Beach Concours d’Elegance, in 1950, and credited with the vision that contributed to the creation of the tricky “Corkscrew” turn at the Laguna Seca Raceway.
He was born in Trondheim, Norway in 1919 to a sea captain and his wife who immigrated to Seattle in 1929. From a young age, Kjell lived and breathed speed. He became a star athlete in track and field, and at age 20 unofficially tied the world record in the 100-yard dash. He attended the University of Washington, and during his service in World War II, became a U.S. Navy pilot. It was after the war that Qvale’s attention became captured by automobiles.
Fascinated with cars, his first foray into the automotive field was a Willy’s Jeep franchise he purchased in Alameda, California, in 1947. Later, during a meeting with the James motorcycle importer in New Orleans, Qvale got a glimpse of one of the first postwar MG-TC Roadsters. The next year, Qvale became the MG distributor for the West Coast, calling his San Francisco-based company, British Motor Car Distributors, Ltd. In 1953, Qvale, along with partner Reynold C. Johnson, gave his first order to Volkswagen Germany for 12 VW Beetles to sell in Northern California. Along with his brother Knute, Kjell started Riviera Motors as the sole Volkswagen importer for the Pacific Northwest in 1954, which eventually grew to over 2,500 Volkswagen, Porsche and Audi vehicle sales per month. There was a time when Qvale was the distributor for more than 100 dealerships, selling 10 different brands of German and British cars.
In 1970, Mr. Q bought the Jensen factory in West Bromwich, England, and with Donald Healey, built the fast and sleek Jensen-Healey. The Jensen factory produced more than 12,000 Jensen Interceptors and Jensen-Healey sports cars from 1970-’76.
“My father’s passing leaves us with big shoes to fill,” said Bruce Qvale. “His determination to succeed and passion for the car business has inspired me ever since I was a young boy and our whole family has shared a love of the business as a result of his enthusiasm. We will do our best to carry on the legacy Dad created.”
