History
December, 1951 - Sam Swope and partner, Al Graf, incorporated Swope-Graf Motors, Inc.
January 2, 1952 - Swope-Graf Motors, Inc., selling Plymouth and Dodge, opened at the corner of College and Mulberry Streets in Elizabethtown, Kentucky.
April, 1953 - Sam Swope bought out his partner and the company was renamed Swope Motors, Inc.
1956 - Sales were booming and Swope Motors moved to a larger facility at 316 S. Mulberry Street .
1957 - Swope Motors added the Chrysler and Desoto franchises.
1957 – Swope opened his first dealership in Jefferson County - Swope’s Plymouth City at 6770 Dixie Highway in Pleasure Ridge Park .
January 7, 1959 - Swope Motors on Mulberry Street in Elizabethtown exploded and burned to the ground. Swope moved the dealership to North Dixie Highway in February.
June, 1960 - Swope opened his second dealership in Louisville - Swope Auto Company at 126 Breckenridge Lane representing Chrysler and Plymouth .
1961 - Swope dropped Chrysler and Plymouth to obtain the Pontiac franchise and changed the name of the dealership to Sam Swope Pontiac, Inc. Sam Swope moved his family to Louisville and turned over the operation of Swope Motors in Elizabethtown to his brother, Bill Swope.
January, 1966 - Sam Swope Pontiac moved to a new, state-of-the-art dealership at 4311 Shelbyville Road in St. Matthews. The first year in the building, Sam Swope sold more new Pontiacs than any other dealer sold of any kind in Kentucky .
January 31, 1966 - Ill fate struck again when Swope Motors on Dixie Highway in Elizabethtown burned to the ground.
1967 - Swope Motors completed new buildings on Dixie Highway in Elizabethtown to house dealerships that continue in business today. Currently, Carl Swope (Bill Swope’s son) is president of Swope Motors, Inc., also known as Swope Auto Center , representing Chrysler, Dodge, Plymouth , Mitsubishi , Pontiac , Toyota and Hyundai. It is currently the largest dealership group in Hardin County .
1967 - Swope took a calculated risk and added the unknown (at that time) franchise of Toyota to Swope’s Plymouth City .
1967 - Sam Swope Pontiac acquired the Rolls Royce line and Sam Swope became the first luxury car dealer in Louisville . Swope quickly learned that Louisville was not quite ready for a car of this type and he discontinued the franchise in 1971.
1971 - Sam Swope received the Time Magazine Quality Dealer Award. This award continues to be recognized as the highest honor in the automotive retailing industry.
1971 - Sam Swope added the Honda franchise to Sam Swope Pontiac at 4311 Shelbyville Road in Louisville .
1976 - Sam Swope purchased Courtesy Cadillac on Shelbyville Road in St. Matthews. In 1980, Dick Swope (Bill Swope’s son) became a partner with Sam Swope in its operation.
1978 – Swope acquired a BMW franchise which joined the already crowded operations at 4311 Shelbyville Road . Swope terminated the Chrysler and Plymouth franchises at Plymouth City and renamed the dealership Toyota of Louisville. The dealership continues to operate today at 6514 Dixie Highway in Pleasure Ridge Park .
1982 - With the addition of GMC Truck, Sam Swope Pontiac changed its name to Sam Swope Pontiac GMC BMW Honda. Swope had outgrown the dealership at 4311 Shelbyville Road and he began plans to build the first auto mall in the region.
September, 1984 - Quarters were cramped so the Honda sales department moved to a former fast food location at 286 N. Hubbards Lane . Honda sales and service operations eventually moved to a new facility in the Louisville AutoCenter in February 1989.
1984 - Sam Swope’s dream began to take shape with the purchase of 22 acres on Hurstbourne Parkway in eastern Jefferson County .
1984 - Swope ventured into a new market with the opening of Courtesy Pontiac in Sanford , Florida . Mr. Kim Hackett operated the dealership as President and CEO.
1987 - Swope purchased Performance Motors in downtown Louisville and acquired the Volkswagen franchise. The franchise was eventually moved to Sam Swope Pontiac GMC BMW on Shelbyville Road .
1988 - Swope completed construction of a new facility for Courtesy Pontiac on 15 acres in Longwood , Florida .
June, 1988 - Groundbreaking ceremonies were held for the future Louisville AutoCenter.
August, 1988 - The Swope Automotive Group, Inc. was created with the merging of Courtesy Cadillac and Sam Swope Pontiac GMC, Inc. into one company.
November, 1988 - Sam Swope’s dream of an auto mall was finally realized with the opening of Courtesy Cadillac in the Louisville AutoCenter.
May, 1989 - Phase I of the Louisville AutoCenter was completed. Courtesy Cadillac , Sam Swope Pontiac GMC, Sam Swope Honda World and Sam Swope Mitsubishi were open and operating. Business continued as usual at 4311 Shelbyville Road with Pontiac, GMC Truck, Volkswagen and BMW represented. The Volkswagen franchise was sold in 1992.
October, 1990 - The Florida market proved to be a wise move. Swope opened Saturn of Orlando on property adjacent to Courtesy Pontiac in Longwood.
November, 1991 - Sam Swope Infiniti opened in the Louisville AutoCenter as Phase II of continued expansion begins.
March, 1992 - Saturn of Louisville, the first Saturn dealership in the market, opened in the Louisville AutoCenter.
March, 1992 - Expansion in the Orlando , Florida market continued with the opening of Saturn of Orlando South and Courtesy Acura.
January, 1993 - The Louisville AutoCenter was re-named Swope AutoCenter.
1994 - Courtesy Pontiac, Saturn of Orlando North, Saturn of Orlando South, and Courtesy Acura were incorporated under the name of Courtesy Auto Group, Inc. to reflect their expanding presence in the Orlando , Florida market.
October, 1995 - Courtesy Auto Group opened sales operations in a temporary trailer for Saturn of Orlando/Osceola in Kissimmee , Florida . Construction of the permanent facility was completed in the Fall of ‘96.
June, 1995 - Courtesy Auto Group purchased Magic Isuzu in Orlando . The name was changed to Courtesy’s Magic Isuzu.
July 7, 1995 - Swope Automotive Group, Inc. purchased Lexus of Louisville from Tafel Motors.
December 11, 1996 - Swope Automotive Group, Inc. purchased Winston Pittman’s Pontiac GMC located on Dixie Highway and renamed it Courtesy Pontiac GMC.
February 4, 1997 - Courtesy Auto Group entered into an agreement to merge its operations into AutoNation USA (owned by Republic Industries at that time).
March 26, 1997 - Ground Breaking ceremonies were held in the Swope AutoCenter for Sam Swope BMW , Lexus of Louisville, and the Big Lot.
October, 1997 - Sam Swope BMW and Lexus of Louisville opened in the Swope AutoCenter.
December, 1997 - Swope Automotive Group, Inc. purchased Collins Buick at 4120 Bardstown Road in Louisville and renamed it Sam Swope Buick.
December, 1997 - Sam Swope’s Big Lot, a used car superstore, opened in the Swope AutoCenter.
January 1, 1998 - Swope Automotive Group, Inc. changed its name to Sam Swope Auto Group, Inc.
April, 1998 - Sam Swope Auto Group, Inc. announced plans for an auto center housing Pontiac GMC, Saturn, and Mitsubishi dealerships, on the corner of Lower Hunters Trace and Dixie Highway in southwestern Jefferson County .
June, 1998 - Sam Swope Auto Group, Inc. received the “Best of Louisville” award for best new car dealership from the readers of Louisville magazine.
September, 1998 - Sam Swope Auto Group, Inc. was named to Top 100 Megadealers in nation based on revenues for 1997 by Ward’s Dealer Business magazine.
May, 1999 - Sam Swope Honda World was recognized as #1 Certified Pre-Owned Honda dealer in the world by American Honda Motor Company.
October, 1999 - Sam Swope Mitsubishi moved to a newly remodeled, larger facility in the Swope Discount AutoCenter.
November, 1999 - Sam Swope Buick was moved from Bardstown Road and celebrated grand opening in the Swope Discount AutoCenter.
July 17, 2000 - Sam Swope Buick and Courtesy Cadillac switched buildings in the Swope Discount AutoCenter to make room for the move of Sam Swope Pontiac GMC from Shelbyville Road .
July 17, 2000 - To more clearly identify its heritage, Courtesy Cadillac changed its name to Sam Swope Cadillac .
August 1, 2000 - http://www.samswopepontiac.com/, after 34 years on Shelbyville Road , moved to the Swope Discount AutoCenter and Sam Swope Pontiac Buick GMC is officially opened.
August 25, 2001 - Senator Mitch McConnell cuts the ribbon as Toyota of Louisville celebrated grand opening in a new, state-of-the-art dealership at corner of Dixie Highway and Lower Hunters Trace.
October 4, 2002 - Sam Swope introduced a new automotive retailing concept to Louisville with the opening of AutoMatrix at 4120 Bardstown Road in Buechel. AutoMatrix was home to Sam Swope’s Just Trucks, a pre-owned trucks sales specialist; a 2nd location for Sam Swope Collision Center ; and Roberts Mobile Electronics and Enhancements, a specialist in after-market sound and video systems as well as accessories.
February 14, 2003 - Sam Swope Auto Group purchased the Volvo franchise from Tafel Motors. The dealership and all employees remained in the Tafel facility on Shelbyville Road pending construction of an all new, state -of-the-art Volvo dealership located in the Swope AutoCenter scheduled to open in the Spring of 2004.
April 2003 – Sam Swope Auto Group was once again ranked the #1 New Automobile Dealer in the Louisville metropolitan area by Business First newspaper. The ranking was based on new car and truck retail unit sales in the metro area in 2002.
May 2003 – Sam Swope Auto Group was ranked #52 in Ward’s Dealer Business magazine Megadealer 100 listing of top dealers in the nation based on new car sales revenues for 2002.
May 22, 2003 – Sam Swope Honda World celebrated a grand re-opening following an extensive remodeling and expansion project which doubled the sales and service capacity of the facility in the Swope Discount AutoCenter. Numerous friends, employees, customers, local dignitaries, and American Honda Motors officials participated in the ribbon cutting.
June 23, 2003 – Sam Swope Auto Group was the recipient of a Best of Louisville Award for Best New Automobile Dealer by the readers of Louisville magazine. The Best Car Dealer category had not been offered since 1998 for which Swope was also voted the recipient.
October, 2003 – Sam Swope Auto Group received the Better Business Bureau “Torch Award for Marketplace Ethics” awarded to businesses that have “demonstrated a commitment to ethical business practices in every aspect of their relationship with customers, employees, suppliers, shareholders, and the community.”
January, 2004 – Volvo of Louisville moved to a newly constructed dealership in the Swope Discount AutoCenter allowing an expanded inventory and increased service capacity.
February, 2004 – Sam Swope Auto Group acquired the Suzuki franchise and Sam Swope Suzuki opened on Dixie Highway in temporary facilities.
June, 2005 – Volvo of Louisville won a 2005 Critics Choice Best of Louisville Award from Louisville magazine for the best automobile showroom. Volvo of Louisville was recognized for its comfortable and warm showroom environment.
July, 2005 – Saturn of Louisville South opened in a newly constructed, 16,000 square foot dealership at 6600 Dixie Highway . This was Swope’s second point for Saturn sales and service in the Louisville Metro area.
September, 2005 – Sam Swope Suzuki was moved from Dixie Highway to the Just Trucks complex at 4120 Bardstown Road and a full blown advertising and marketing campaign was launched.
October, 2005 – construction began on a service department addition to the existing Sam Swope Infiniti dealership in the Swope AutoCenter.
April, 2006 – Sam Swope Infiniti opens the service addition for business.
March, 2007 - Sam Swope Auto Group was named to the Top 125 Dealership Groups by Automotive News magazine in the March 19, 2007 issue. In addition, Swope Group was recognized on the cover as one of the five biggest gainers among the 100 largest dealership groups, moving from a ranking of #67 in 2006, to #57 in 2007. That ranking is based on group revenues and includes all dealership departments.
June, 2007 – Sam Swope Pontiac GMC on Dixie Highway added the Buick product line providing ease of Buick sales and service for the South end of Louisville.
August, 2007 – Lexus of Louisville opened in a new, 50,000 square foot dealership at 2400 Blankenbaker Parkway.
September, 2007 – Remodeling was started on the former Lexus location in the Swope AutoCenter to create the new home for Sam Swope BMW. The building will undergo a total transformation both inside and out to increase the sales and service areas for BMW and to provide the BMW brand image.
September, 2007 – Construction was started on a new 6,000 square foot dealership for smart center Louisville. The smart fortwo vehicle will debut in the U.S.A. in January, 2008.
September, 2007 – Sam Swope Suzuki is undergoing an exterior remodel and an interior facelift to implement the Suzuki square brand image program.
October 2007– Sam Swope Auto Group acquired the Clapp Buick Pontiac GMC dealership in Clarksville, Indiana to form Sam Swope Buick Pontiac GMC on Lewis and Clark Parkway. Swope is now the exclusive dealer for the Buick Pontiac and GMC lines in the Louisville metropolitan area with additional locations in the Swope Discount AutoCenter and on Dixie Highway in Louisville.
December 2007 – Sam Swope BMW opened in a newly remodeled dealership adjacent to the former location in the Swope Discount AutoCenter. The new interior and exterior reflect the sleek design and performance of the BMW automobile.
January 2008 – Smart center Louisville opened at 11601 Plantside Drive in Louisville Featuring the innovative smart for two models, smart brings a new concept of transportation to Kentucky.
March 2008 – The Sam Swope Auto Group has been ranked the 61st largest of the Top 125 Dealership Groups in the nation as recognized by Automotive News in the March 24, 2008 publication. Rankings are based on retail sales including new, used, fleet, parts, and service for 2007.
