Though it would seem the automobile industry has suddenly taken note of gay and lesbian consumers, actively marketing to this group with a good deal of disposable income, their approach has been more gradual than it appears. Their marketing campaigns have been carefully researched and thought out by advertising agencies and research firms over a number of years.

Cory Ingersol, a young bisexual businessperson visiting from Ohio, just picked up his new Mazdaspeed Protégé — one of only 1,700 built. It is also one of only 600 in the U.S. with yellow paint that changes color in different light.

“I wanted a fast, personal car under $23,000 that can take a G on a skid pad and has rocket like turbo acceleration,” said Ingersol. “The spicy yellow paint didn’t hurt.” Ingersol builds and street races high-powered Japanese cars, such as Subaru’s WRX and Mitsubishi’s Lancer Evolution, which offer the blistering acceleration and trick styling preferred by younger buyers. But, young, gay buyers, you ask? Absolutely.

Rick Edgil, a San Diego Police officer, owns several vehicles with his life partner, Trent Timmons — a 1990 Toyota 4Runner, a 1990 Toyota Camry Edgil refers to as “The Grandma Car,” and a 2000 Nissan Maxima. “The 4Runner is our utility haul everyone-and-everything vehicle. I bought it because it seats four and it’s good looking. The Camry came to the family fleet from Trent’s mom and had only 22,000 miles on it when we got it. It’s dependable and it’s also at the top of the 10 most frequently stolen vehicles in the city,” noted Edgil, in his role as a community relations officer. “In fact, ours was taken, but recovered two days later with only minimal damage.... We bought the Maxima because Trent had to have one. We looked at Camry and Honda Accord, but Trent won out as usual.”

As a trained observer working in the San Diego Police Department’s Hillcrest storefront (overlooking the Uptown Shopping center parking lot), Edgil noted the various cars he sees in the lot and associates with gay men and lesbians. “I see a lot of BMW Z3s, the little roadsters, VW Jettas, Jeep Grand Cherokees and Nissan Xterras here in Hillcrest — also lots of both old (they don’t rust out in San Diego) and new Beetles, and those new Mini Coopers — they’re usually driven by males 20-35…. Ford Explorers and Ranger pickups are frequently driven by the gals. I want a pickup truck next — something to do the Home Depot runs with.”

San Diego real estate agent Richard Trayner bought his AudiA4 in March because it had all-wheel drive and great handling. Still, he’s already looking for his next set of wheels. “The Audi is too small for me to drive my clients around. I’ve been looking at the new Volvo S60R and Jaguar XJ8 Sedans. The Volvo is larger, has 300 turbocharged horsepower and a suspension system you can set by hand to any of three positions. Jags are just luxurious — the XJ8 has a silky V8 plus better exterior styling and active computer controlled suspension.” In addition, Trayner also owns a Toyota 4Runner.

Bob Tepedino works for a home improvement supplier and is also a member of the Great Autos of Yesteryear (GAY) car club. Tepedino recently shed a1967 Imperial Lebaron and a front-wheel drive Chrysler Fifth Avenue, favoring a 1985 Chrysler. Not content to leave it as it came from the factory, he set about to produce a vehicle he calls, “the only one they never made” — his own stunning “Liberace Edition.”

“ I found the car languishing on a resale lot. It had been sitting unused for four years,” recalled Tepedino. “I bought it for $500 and redid everything from the suspension and brakes to the paint and interior.”

Tepedino lovingly reupholstered the interior in brocade fabric, installed a CD consol in the ashtray, built a console and even designed and produced emblems for the car’s fenders to proclaim it a Liberace Edition. The resulting homage to the queen of candelabras and excess is stunning, comfortable and reliable. “It’s just your average mid ’80s rear-drive, V8 sedan given new life,” Tepedino quipped modestly.

Buying a car is second only to purchasing a home on the list of the most expensive and long-held items we will purchase in our lifetimes. While major corporations have taken an acute interest in the power of the GLBT consumer dollar over the past decade, auto manufacturers didn’t initially view gays and lesbians as a separate niche. Lumping gay and lesbian consumers in with mainstream buyers is a marketing mindset that has finally been breached — and in a very intentional way.

Gay automotive designers can tell you they had hoped to see this turnabout during their lifetime. Frank Hershey, the person who designed the first Ford Thunderbirds in 1955, 56 and 57, was a gay man who died just before his own former employer, Ford Motor Corporation, began aggressively marketing to the GLBT population (see story, page 44).

Like any other industry, gays and lesbians are found throughout the automotive world — as designers, manufacturers, testers, reviewers, marketing specialists, and, ultimately, consumers. The editor of a popular monthly car magazine who passed away recently was a gay man. In a time when purchasing power overshadows fear of reprisal, the GLBT population has clout — particularly in the eyes of one of the big three automakers.

To that end Witeck-Combs Communications, a Washington D.C.-based public relations and research firm, was hired by Ford Motor Company to investigate and develop a plan to involve Ford in the day-to-day business of selling vehicles worldwide to gay and lesbian consumers.

Witeck-Combs and Harris Interactive began extensive research to find out what vehicles gays and lesbians are buying, and just how to get those purchasers into Ford, Jaguar, Land Rover and Volvo showrooms.

1,000 GLBT and 1,000 mainstream consumers were asked a series of questions about their automotive buying habits. The market was scrutinized, corporate managers were apprised of the GLBT market — some for the first time — and competitors were monitored to produce a series of campaigns. Witeck-Combs, Ford, its divisions and its ad agencies had to decide which vehicles were the most marketable choices for the gay and lesbian market — something that hadn’t been done on a grand scale before.

There are not many times in history when a new group of consumers is discovered. Perhaps the last time was at the end of World War II, when military personnel were suddenly returning home by the hundreds of thousands and looking to purchase cars for their families. Fifty years can bring about a true difference in acceptance. At the end of WWII, Henry Ford was widely known to have publicly stated his agreement with some of Adolf Hitler’s anti-Semitic ideas. Who would have ever imagined his own company reaching out to GLBT consumers?

“The amount of disposable income in a GLBT family may certainly be higher because we have far fewer children to raise and on whom to spend our money,” said John Butler of Witeck-Combs, noting that the first ads aimed squarely at gays and lesbians were for Jaguar and Volvo. “High-end luxury and convenience certainly do have a prominent place in the GLBT community. Gays and lesbians tend to be trendsetters in both style and technology.” Again, numerous writers in the automotive press are gay (yes, we’re everywhere).

Just as Ford has high end buyers of its Lincolns, Jaguar’s X-type all-wheel drive sedan can be purchased for under $30,000. Ford’s Mustang, a perennial favorite for almost 40 years, has outlasted Chevrolet’s Camaro and sells for between $18,000 and $30,000. Mustang is due for a retro ’60s redesign in 2005, while Range Rover’s new small entry is more affordable.

Witeck’s research also shows young gay professionals like being seen in a premier brand. “It’s the, ‘Here I am’ factor,” said Butler. Jaguar for many years was bedeviled by quality and reliability problems. After Ford’s purchase of the company, those problems were almost erased. Now Jaguar ads appear in both gay and mainstream media. Their wit and humor, plus the message that anyone can be a family, have made Ford’s competitors sit up and take notice.

Volvo, always known as the boxy safety car brand with the quirky ignition key on the console, was also a tough brand to sell — even to mainstream American buyers. Since the purchase by Ford, a more swoopy XC90 crossover utility wagon and C70 convertible have brought Volvo into the forefront as a brand to consider owning. Volvo’s frequently seen, large two-page ads in national gay periodicals show that brand taking the lead to attract gay buyers.

Ford has gone so far as to sponsor major Human Rights Campaign events with Volvo and just recently inked a deal to include Land Rover as a major sponsor of an upcoming HRC Dinner in Washington, D.C. Surely other car manufacturers are watching to see the ultimate success of Ford’s sojourn into gaydom, though they are still just watching.

“I like my BMW convertible because of the looks I get,” said Tim O’Reilly, a gay firefighter based out of Tucson, Arizona.

VW Jettas and new Beetles are also favorites with gays and lesbians, as well as Ford Ranger pickups, Mercedes coupes and Jeep Grand Cherokees. Chrysler’s new entries, the Pacifica utility wagon and Crossfire sports car — its first builds with both Chrysler and Mercedes parts — are also big steps toward the forward thinking we like. But Daimler/Chrysler has so far not taken aim at the cash rich gay market in its advertising. Neither has General Motors, who owns Saab, another popular car with gay men in their late 20s and early 30s.

Whether you have a specific make and model of car in mind or are waiting for something that catches your eye, a car is a big investment — you want to feel as comfortable and relaxed as possible when making your decision. For members of the GLBT community, the purchase is often a joint financial decision between both partners in a same-sex relationship.

Fortunately, San Diego has a wealth of dealerships that have been reaching out to the GLBT community with advertising and community participation — long before Ford and other automakers thought to tap the gay dollar through national advertising campaigns.

On the advice of Frank Lechner, currently a member of the sales team at Cush Honda, Mike Smith Honda became the first auto dealership to advertise in the Gay and Lesbian Times — over ten years ago. Currently owned by the Cush Automotive Group, Cush Honda continues to advertise in the local gay press and remains a strong supporter of our community.

“We were also the first dealer in the history of Pride to openly support and sponsor Pride and march in the parade,” noted Lechner. “That really put our name out there at the forefront of the entire community in San Diego. And we’ve continued to do that for 10 years.”

We track where the customers come from,” he added. “There was a point that 30 percent of the store’s business was from the gay and lesbian community. That’s pretty remarkable….”

The Bob Baker Auto Group came on board shortly thereafter and has been advertising in the Times ever since. Other dealerships to come on board include Cunningham BMW, Midway Jeep and Mercedez Benz of San Diego.

Though it hasn’t always been easy for dealerships to reach out to gay and lesbian consumers, there are those who have weathered the storm.

For example, Steve Cushman, the owner of Cush Automotive, stood his ground when homophobic, radio talk host Rodger Hedgecock call for a boycott of Gay and Lesbian Times advertisers on his program — including Cush dealerships.

Instead of caving in to pressure, Cushman held his ground, reminding Hedgecock that he could just as easily pull his advertising from the station that broadcasts Hedgecock’s program.

However, other dealerships haven’t come around so quickly. At one point, a San Diego Volvo dealership asked Times’ sales representatives to leave the premises, remarking, “We don’t want your kind in here.”

By standing their ground and continuing to maintain a presence in our community, Cush and Baker have set a positive example for other dealerships that have followed in their footsteps — advertising in the local gay press, participating in our community and sponsoring GLBT events.

In turn, this participation serves to educate employees and staff at dealerships.

“[Buyers] need to feel comfortable when they make a decision,” said Lechner. “They need to be talked to like they are a couple, without any fear of judgment or snickering behind the scenes.”

(For a list of gay-friendly dealerships, see the accompanying sidebar).

The GLBT community also has a fascination with classic cars. Vintage Cadillacs are the most registered vehicle in the nation’s largest gay car club, Great Autos of Yesteryear. With over 1,000 registered members, the club averages at least three vehicles per household. Some members have close to 100 vehicles — both old and new. But even when gays purchase older cars, they are usually high end and either restored or well kept models close to their original condition. The cars range from museum showpieces to everyday faded drivers.

George Sellers, a retired bookkeeper, explains why he keeps his stable of huge tail-finned luxo-barges. “I just got used to having them. I’ve had big cars all my life, from my first new car, a 1962 Oldsmobile Dynamic 88, to numerous Cadillacs, including a 1938, and, currently, my 1957, 1963, 1967, 1973 and 2002 — [along with] a 1959 Buick. I’m happy just to look at them. They drink gas, but I don’t drive them every day. They do, however, increase in value every day. They’re an investment, too.”

This writer knows that without Great Autos I would never have had a social life in San Diego at all. My first vintage purchase was a 1965 Chevelle Malibu convertible. It was a wreck, but after $10,000 worth of work, it was a stunner in glistening Evening Orchid — a sort of silver amethyst. The color was coined by a former chief of interior styling for Chevrolet, now a member of Great Autos himself.

There are also gay men and lesbians who buy wrecks and do all the restoration work themselves. How can this gay subculture have lived so long alongside its straight counterpart without being recognized? Most gay men over the age of 40 will tell you that for many decades they simply mixed in with the existing car culture. In fact even today vintage and antique vehicles owned by gay men frequently win in “straight” club competitions.

Life Partners Brandon St. James and Alex Brown own and operate Sun Coast Classics, a vintage auto restoration shop in National City. “My first car, at 17, was a 1964 Lincoln Continental convertible,” Brandon recalled with a laugh. “I had the best car in my entire high school — including the faculty! But the car had problems and no one at the local Lincoln dealers knew how to work on it because of its age. One day the service manager gave me a shop manual for the car and said, ‘You’re on your own.’ I studied the manual and taught myself how to do all the repairs myself.” When word spread that St. James knew how to fix the big Lincolns, he had an instant following and has been working on them since.

St. James’ partner was slow in warming up to the idea of his old car hobby and business, but now loves it. The couple love their vintage Rolls Royce Silver Shadow because of their interest in British antiquities. Several early 1960s-era Lincolns are currently in their shop being brought back to their former glory. What is the draw, the mystique of these cars? “Everyone likes to get the best quality car they can for the money,” said St. James, “and for vintage buyers, Cadillacs and Lincolns of the ’50s and ’60s represent the highest quality from Detroit of that era.”

St. James says a true basket case car can take up to a year and tens of thousands of dollars to become a jewel again. However, for many gay and lesbian car aficionados, the money is there to pay for purchase, restoration and upkeep because it isn’t always spent on the first 18 years of a child’s development and college education. There are also frequently two incomes pooled for most durable goods purchases. Whether your vehicle purchase comes down to style, performance, convenience or the price of gasoline, what you drive is indeed a unique a reflection of you as an individual.

Beyond rude road-rage gestures, there is perhaps no other statement quite so personal a car owner can make as that of a personalized license plate. Though these codified messages are all over our roadways — some intriguing, others cloyingly cute — it’s not often that we see tags that actually reflect aspects of the GLBT community.

However, Santa Barbara resident Charles Rice, also a member of Great Autos of Yesteryear, has probably about the two strongest plate statements out there — Rice has the only two in the state (and perhaps the country) that read “gay” and “lesbian.”

The founder of an annual “Queer Gearheads” event for GLBT car lovers at Santa Barbara Pride, Rice said it wasn’t easy acquiring the tags from the state of California (he first applied for the “gay” plate about a year and a half ago).

“The [application] came back from the DMV and it said, ‘This word is offensive to good taste and decency,’” recalled Rice. “I thought, whoa, and I wrote them a very nice letter, businesslike.”

Rice heard nothing from the Department of Motor Vehicles.

“The next time I was a little bit more to the point,” said Rice, who sent copies of his letter to both his attorney and the office of Gov. Gray Davis. “Two days later I had a call: ‘No problem, you can go get your plate, Mr. Rice.’ … I’m sure there are other people who’ve applied for them, but no one ever fought for them, I guess.”

As someone who had worked with the state of California to promote gay tourism, Rice was dumbfounded that he wasn’t initially able to get the plates. Nevertheless, after acquiring a “gay” plate for his Mazda Miata, he sought immediately its “lesbian” match.

His son now drives his car with the lesbian plate. “Actually, one time it was vandalized,” Rice noted. “Somebody came out with lipstick and wrote all over it, ‘Fuck dykes’ or something like that. Then somebody else came along, smeared it all over and put a note on the car, you know, saying, ‘Oh, those misogynistic bastards, look what they’ve done to your car’ and added a couple of little lesbian symbols on there. You know, it makes people smile; it makes people think — the fact that a piece of sheet metal with some paint on it and dimples in it could cause such a stir.”