- Kjell Qvale
Kjell Qvale (pronounced “Shell Cavarley”) was born in 1919 in
Trondheim ,Norway and is the son of a Norwegian sea captain. He moved to theUnited States in 1929cite book |last=Browning |first=Peter |authorlink= |coauthors=Blunsden, John |title=The Jensen Healey Stories |year=1974 |publisher=Motor Racing Publications Ltd |location=Croydon, Surrey, UK |id=ISBN 0-900549-21-1] .Car dealing and importing
On a trip to
New Orleans , Qvale saw an MG TC, an English sports car made byMorris Garages . He decided to import MG cars into the United States, believing that since he found the car so appealing other people would too. He established a business nearSan Francisco and diversified by adding other car brands includingAustin ,Morris ,Jaguar , andRolls Royce . The business traded under the name 'British Motor Car Distributors'. Later Qvale further diversified his business interests by importing non-British brands includingVolkswagen ,Porsche ,De Tomaso ,Maserati andLamborghini .Jensen and the Jensen-Healey
Kjell Qvale was one of the key figures in the creation of the
Jensen-Healey . By 1970, Qvale's organization was selling more than 160,000cite book |last=Browning |first=Peter |authorlink= |coauthors=Blunsden, John |title=The Jensen Healey Stories |year=1974 |publisher=Motor Racing Publications Ltd |location=Croydon, Surrey, UK |id=ISBN 0-900549-21-1] cars in the United States. TheAustin-Healey , produced by theBritish Motor Corporation (BMC), was popular with American buyers. BMC's announcement that it would end production of Austin-Healeys created a problem for Qvale, who stood lose sales. It was also unwelcome news for Austin-Healey's designerDonald Healey – who received a royalty on each Austin-Healey soldcite book |last=Browning |first=Peter |authorlink= |coauthors=Blunsden, John |title=The Jensen Healey Stories |year=1974 |publisher=Motor Racing Publications Ltd |location=Croydon, Surrey, UK |id=ISBN 0-900549-21-1] – and for English car manufacturer,Jensen Motors , who built the Austin-Healeys for BMC. This prompted discussions between these three parties which ultimately led to a plan for the design and production of a vehicle to fill the gap the Austin-Healey would leave. In 1970 Kjell Qvale became the majority shareholder inJensen Motors . The first production version of theJensen-Healey was completed in 1972 [cite web|title = 1972-1976 Jensen-Healey andJensen GT - Auto How Stuff Works |url = http://auto.howstuffworks.com/1972-1976-jensen-healey-and-jensen-gt.htm|accessdate = 2008-08-06] .Horse Racing
Qvale has spent a lifetime owning and racing
Thoroughbred racehorse s. He headed the board atGolden Gate Fields for 25 years (where his horses still run) and his breeding farm in theNapa Valley was the last home of the greatSilky Sullivan .References
External links
* [http://www.jensenhealey.com/ Jensen-Healey Preservation Society]
* [http://www.british-steel.org/ Jensen cars]
* [http://www.healeyracing.com/ Healey Racing]
* [http://www.qvaleauto.com/ Qvale Auto]
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