Need info on dealership: "Jacobs" of Gainesville, FL, ca. 1959

[Tore R. Klerud, CLC#20146]

Hello.

In researching the history of 1959 Eldroado Biarritz #793, I am looking for info on the dealership that, according to a dealer badge on the decklid, sold the car new: "Jacobs" of Gainesville (I presume Gainesville, Florida). Any info on who took over the dealership, people who may have worked there and/or may remember who bought this car deeply appreciated.

Yes, I know this is 40 years ago, but still there is a chance that someone might remember this. Most dealerships sold very few if any Eldo Biarritzes, and I would guess many of them were sold to "regulars" who more or less had a subscription on the icing on the Cadillac cake, and picked up a new Eldo Biarritz every year. Oh well, you can´t blame a guy for trying...

Car is by the way a Hampton Green, green bucket interior, black top, ac and E-Z Eye glass but no cruise or autronic eye. And YES, I have notified Bill (who actually had the car in his files, but had no knowledge about it´s whereabouts for the last 25 years...

Regards, Tore
Norway

[Tom Hall 7485]

Sorry, I don't have Jacobs.  The oldest one I have there is Robertson Oldsmobile-Cadillac at 2355 Browns Bridge Road.  This from a list provided to the CLCMRC showing certain dealers in 1986.   

You might try contacting the Gainesville, Florida public library and asking what is in the local Yellow Pages phone directory for 1959 under "Automobiles - New Car Dealers - Cadillac" to confirm that Jacobs was there in 1959. You can do the same for the 1960s and 1970s to learn the progression of dealers.

Consider yourself lucky that you have a dealer's decal, which is a valuable clue regarding the retailer (but could also indicate someone who sold the car used). If and when you get the authentication materials from GM Heritage Center, the outlet code on the Cars Built summary for your car will probably be "JAX", indicating the Jacksonville, Florida distributor, Claude Nolan, Inc. 

If you have a chance, please give me the five-digit dealer (outlet) number on the window sticker for your Canandaigua, New York car.  It should start with "1" and be near the top.

[wrefakis]

Hi,I have the delivery code on 793 as ATA,I have requested a breakdown from gm historical,will post it when recieved.bill

[Tom Hall 7485]

Thanks for that, Bill.

If the outlet for this car was "ATA", then the car was at least billed to, if not also shipped into the territory of, the distributor based at Atlanta, GA. Throughout the 1959 model year, that distributor was Capital Automobile Co., 796 W. Peachtree St. NW, Atlanta 8, Georgia.  I know this because I have a distributor directory for 1963 and another member was kind enough to share with me one for 1957.

"ATA" suggests to me that the car was first retailed in northern Georgia and that any pot metal script or decal advertising a dealer in northern Florida would have been put on a used car, not when the car was new.  However, a dealer/distributor trade when the car was new is also a possibility.  Gainesville, Florida was not in the Atlanta-based distributor's territory.

(I will be surprised if GM Heritage Center will be able to give you even this info as they did not have distributor directories or any list of the location codes (such as ATA) the last time I checked.  That is why I would like to receive your help regarding your collection of 1959 Cars Built reports, particularly the "outlet" column.  I am trying to decode the location codes and I need to collect as many as possible.  Not even GM Heritage Ctr seems to know what they all stand for.)
 

[Tom Hall 7485]

Sorry, a mistaken assumption.  The "Gainesville" is in Georgia, not Florida.  Gainesville, GA was in the Atlanta-based distributor's territory.   

[Tore R. Klerud, CLC#20146]

Thanx guys! I presumed Gainesville Florida even though the badge on the decklid only said "Jacobs, Gainesville", and I suppose I had better kept my mouth shut with such assumptions, being a Norwegian. However I had heard about Gainesville FL, and it seemed like a plausible thing.

Now hearing that the car is probably from the greater Atlanta region is kind of a funny coincidence, as my own 76 Eldorado convertible "lived" at Valley Road with it´s first owner, and was serviced at both the bigger Cadillac dealerships in Northern Atlanta, namely the in this thread afore mentioned Capital (Capitol?) Cadillac on the western outskirt, and Hennessey Cadillac a little closer to it´s first home address at Valley Road. I have previously tried to contact both of them (Capitol/Capital was still a Cadillac dealership last time I checked, Hennessey had switched from Jags and Cads to Lexus on it´s former location but have several outfits serving several makes on different Atlanta locations) in order to find out which one of them actually sold the car new, but from the total lack of response I take it they are not very interested in speaking with old car enthusiasts at all. Could be that a mail regarding one of the now-fameous 59 Eldorado Biarritzes would stir up some more excitement than my run-of-the-mill 76 Eldorado convertible did, though.

Anyway, thanx for your efforts guys. I will see what more you can possibly find out as to exactly what dealership may have sold it, and act on your advise regarding where to start looking for leads today.

Regards, Tore
Norway

[CADDYKING]

Sir I will try my best to find out the info you requested. I live approximately 45 Minutes from Gainesvilles  Florida. I would like to know if it is possible you can e-mail in referance to obtaining popular classic car magazines from Norway. My e-mail address is Worldwide_trades@yahoo.com my name is Eric Rayford. Could you use a good to help obtain foreign merchandise.

Yours Eric

[35-709]

Eric,
If you will read back a couple of posts you will see it has been determined that the car came from Gainesville, Georgia ----- NOT Gainesville, Florida.
 

[Tore R. Klerud, CLC#20146]

If you have a chance, please give me the five-digit dealer (outlet) number on the window sticker for your Canandaigua, New York car.  It should start with "1" and be near the top.

Hi Tom. Will do when/if this deal actually goes thru. There is some paperwork that needs to be done on the seller´s part that he´s delayed with, to say the least. I´ve got all the time in the world, but naturally I get more and more doubtful every day. But as I said: If I finally get the thing, you will get all the info I can find about it!

Regards, Tore
Norway