The Carlisle Family Auto Dealerships
Founded in 1956 in Clearwater, Florida, Carlisle Lincoln-Mercury became one of the most successful dealerships in Ford Motor Company history. When Carlisle later bought a troubled Ford dealership in St. Petersburg, FL, they turned it around and won Ford's prestigious Chairman's Award for Quality the very first year under Carlisle operation. Carlisle added Acura, Hyundai & Dodge dealerships to become one of Florida's largest Mega-dealers in the '90s. Carlisle sold more than $20 Million of new and pre-owned cars and trucks - each month! In 1995, AutoNation acquired the Carlisle dealerships in the Tampa Bay area.
Word of Mouth Advertising
Steve Carlisle, the third generation of Carlisle auto dealers, tells the story: "My grandfather, H.H. Carlisle, began selling vehicles in the early 1920's. He lived in rural Missouri and represented Chevrolet, John Deere and Ford. By the time he and my father were thinking about moving to Florida, they had 3 small dealerships."
"In 1956 H.H. and Dan Carlisle opened Carlisle Lincoln-Mercury in Clearwater, Florida. They chose Clearwater because of its sparkling white sandy beaches, the favorable climate (compared to Missouri) and its potential for growth. The architect selected to design our dealership was from the Frank Lloyd Wright school. The dealership's futuristic building was very striking," Steve continues, "A picture of the store taken when I was only 4 years old was recently included in a book commemorating Ford Motor Company's 100th anniversary."
"The foundation for our extraordinary customer satisfaction was built by the hard work of my dad and grandfather, who both were well known for community volunteerism and honest business practices," Steve recalls proudly. 'Word of mouth' and referrals became commonplace and the Carlisle name became a strong brand people knew they could trust without reservation.
Several of our stores were purchased by the fine folks at Crown Automotive Group: Carlisle Acura & Carlisle Hyundai.