Marquardt of Barrington Celebrates 50 Years

is celebrating a very significant milestone this year: 50 years as a Buick dealership.

Opening for business in 1962, the Barrington Road business has been a family name for decades. Not only are they well-known here in Barrington, but they are the longest standing Buick dealership in the Chicago area. Now owned and operated by brothers Kurt and Dan Marquardt, the duo has many fond memories of their time at the dealership.

“One of favorite memories was when we did our first car show with the Buick Club,” Dan Marquardt said.

Marquardt’s late father asked the Buick Club President to do something special for the show, and he delivered.

“Buick had a concept car called the Buick Blackhawk. It was made of all different Buick cars over the decade. A hard top sports convertible that came in it’s own trailer and had an engineering team,” he said. “The Engineers with the Blackhawk Team gave us joy rides and did burnouts and everything,” he remembered fondly.

To celebrate 50 years with Buick, the Marquardt dealership is hosting two parties on Wednesday, Sept. 12 and Thursday, Sept. 13. from 5 to 8 p.m. at 1421 South Barrington Road. Wednesday’s event is intended for the Chamber of Commerce community, while Thursday’s gathering is a more customer-oriented event. The Regional Manager of Buick will be in attendance on Thursday to present the dealership with a bronze plaque commemorating 50 years with Buick.

Event-goers will experience Buicks from the past 50 years while enjoying hors d’oeuvres and cocktails. The star of the show will be a 1963 Buick Riviera; the vehicle on Marquardt of Barrington’s showroom floor when they opened in 1962.

“There aren’t very many, only three in the Chicago market, but we were able to get a ’63 Riviera on the floor…It’s one of the most collectible Buicks of all time,” he said.

There will also be many great giveaways including iPod touches, free detailing and oil changes, TomTom GPS devices and even a 50-inch television. The first 200 people through the door on Wednesday, and the first 150 people to enter on Thursday will also get the chance to roll the dice to win a brand new 2013 Buick Encore.

“We’ve been so blessed to have so many long standing relationships with so many people in the community,” Marquardt said. “My late father said people buy from people they know, but more importantly, they buy from people they like…we really look at every customer as a business relationship. It’s more than just a financial transaction.”

The Marquardt brothers strive to form a personal connection with everyone who walks through the door, and say the friendships formed through the dealership have been one of the highlights of their career.

“My highlight is really the daily interactions with customers that have chosen to do business with us. If it wasn’t for their support, we wouldn’t be here for 50 years,” Marquardt said.

There is no RSVP required to attend the parties at Marquardt of Barrington this week. You must be present to win the give-away prizes.