Kjell Qvale

Kjell Qvale

(1919 - 2013)

"Mr. Q", a legendary powerhouse in the international motor industry, died on November 1 in San Francisco at the age of 94.

Born in Norway in 1919, Qvale immigrated to Seattle in 1929 and went on to serve the U.S. Navy as a pilot in World War II. After the war, Qvale pursued his passion in foreign vehicles. He went on to import MG, Volkswagen, Porsche, Audi, Maserati, along with virtually every other notable British manufacturer. Qvale also ventured into manufacturing, producing his namesake sports car, the Qvale Mangusta. He built race cars 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 Monterey, Calif., in 1950, and credited with the vision that contributed to the creation of the tricky "Corkscrew" turn at the Laguna Seca Raceway.

In 1947, 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 Mr. Q was the distributor for more than 100 dealerships, selling 10 different brands of German and British cars.

Qvale's interest in manufacturing produced a series of BMC-powered MG race cars, including the "MG Liquid Suspension Special" that ran in the Indianapolis 500 in 1963-1965, with famed fabricator and designer Joe Huffaker.

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. The roadster also became one of the few cars in Sports Car Club of America history to capture five SCCA national "D" production championships.

His excitement for cars was only surpassed by his love for his wife Kay and two sons, and his passion for horses. Being a racehorse breeder with more than 100 wins was one of Kjell's greatest life pleasures. He was president of the Pacific Racing Association; Chairman of the Board of Bay Meadows Racetrack, Chairman of the Board of the California Jockey Club and owned several large horse ranches. Always a charitable man, he donated a large supply of medical equipment to other tracks to help injured jockeys and horses.

Kevin Nelson's book, "Lunches with Mr. Q," published in late 2012 covered a range of lengthy conversations and reminiscences with Qvale and presents insights into his career, belief system and approach to life. Always eager to try something new, he decided to start taking daily piano lessons when he was 90 years old.

Mr. Q is survived by two sons, Jeff and Bruce, seven grandchildren, and one great-grandchild. Moving forward, Bruce Qvale will lead the Qvale Automotive Group, which includes numerous successful dealerships from California to Florida.

A memorial service for Mr. Q will be held at 2:00 PM on Thursday Nov. 14 at Grace Cathedral, 1100 California Street San Francisco, CA 94108. In lieu of flowers, please consider a donation to The Guardsmen or the American Cancer Society.