George R. Bentel

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

George R. Bentel
Born(1872-07-02)July 2, 1872
Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, United States
DiedFebruary 27, 1952(1952-02-27) (aged 79)
Los Angeles, California
Occupationautomobile dealer
Years active1907-1952
Spouse(s)
Harriet Chaney
​
(m. 1887)​
Children1

George Roy Bentel (July 2, 1876 - February 27, 1952) was an American automobile dealer and the owner of the Legion Ascot Speedway.[1] Bentel was inducted into the National Sprint Car Hall of Fame in 2010 for his contributions to the sport.[2]

Biography[]

Background[]

Bentel was born in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania; his parents were Frank A. and Mary (Wolf) Bentel.[2] After he graduated from high school he entered the Pittsburgh brokerage house of Henry Sproul & Co.[2] Bentel married in 1897 and the couple moved to Los Angeles.[2]

Automobile dealer[]

In 1907 Bentel entered the automobile industry as the West Coast distributor of the Rainier and American Mercedes.[2] He was also the Pacific Coast dealer for Simplex and Mercer.[2] His Mercer territory was quickly expanded to include the entire United States west of Denver (from the Canadian border south to Mexico).[2] Bentel's other company Coleman & Bentel Co. became the Los Angeles Michelin tire distributor in 1912.[2]

In 1913, Bentel was sued by A.R. Frascer; Frascer won the lawsuit. Bentel appealed the lawsuit.[3] In 1914, Bentel built a new agency in Seattle, Washington.[4]

Promotion was successful under Bentel.[5] In 1916, Bentel became the West Coast distributor of the Jordan Motor Car Company.[2] Between August 1913 and July 1917 Bentel’s agencies were located on 11th and Olive streets, and 1035 South Grand Avenue. In August 1917 his agencies was relocated on the South Grand Avenue. The Bentel Co. used the slogan "where motor styles originate." The policy was to allow consumers to use their own color scheme.

Racing promoter[]

In 1915, Bentel became the chairman of the original Ascot Speedway.[6] He also had numerous racers drive his Mercer cars on the West Coast during the second half of the 1910s, including Barney Oldfield, Eddie Pullen, and Eddie Rickenbacker.[2] Between 1919 and 1924 he spend his time promoting and building the new Legion Ascot Speedway.[7]

One of Bentels workers Jacquez Revez helped put the finishing touch on Legion Ascot.[8] In 1924, second Ascot Speedway opened as New Ascot Speedway.

Scandals[]

Bentel and Oliver Morosco formed a theater and motion picture company called Morosco Holdings in 1921. The company planned to develop a 100 acres (40 ha) theme park.[2] The partners were indicted in 1924 and convicted of mail fraud for the venture in 1926 for swindling stock.[2] There was an issue with drivers being unpaid after the 1924 Turkey Night race at Ascot which Bentel had pocketed $40,000 (equivalent to $600,000 in 2020)

Personal life[]

Bentel married Harriet Chaney in 1897.[2] The couple had one daughter Margaret.[2] Bentel died on February 27, 1952 in Los Angeles.[2]

References[]

  1. ^ "George R. Bentel Company, Geo. R. Bentel Co. - 1912-1919 - Los Angeles, California". Coachbuilt. Retrieved November 5, 2019.
  2. ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l m n o Theobald, Mark. "George Bentel". National Sprint Car Hall of Fame. Retrieved April 28, 2021.
  3. ^ Whiting, Randolph, ed. (January 3, 1911). California Appellate Decisions. Recorder Print. and Publishing Company, 1911. p. 33. Retrieved November 7, 2019.
  4. ^ "Dealers & Garage department". Cycle and Automobile Trade Journal. Chilton Company, 1914: 165. Retrieved November 7, 2019.
  5. ^ "Motor World for Jobbers, Dealers and Garagemen, Volume 60". Motor World Publishing Company, 1919. Motor World. July 23, 1919. p. 40. Retrieved November 7, 2019.
  6. ^ "Fraser v. Bentel". Edward Thompson Company, 1913. The American and English Annotated Cases, Volume 27. p. 1063. Retrieved November 7, 2019.
  7. ^ "New Racing Body for Mercier Chassis". Class Journal Company, 1917. Motor Age, Volume 31. June 14, 1917. p. 45. Retrieved November 7, 2019.
  8. ^ Robert Dick. "9". Auto Racing in the Shadow of the Great War: Streamlined Specials and a New Generation of Drivers on American Speedways, 1915-1922. McFarland, 2019. p. 205. ISBN 9781476631554. Retrieved November 7, 2019.
Retrieved from ""