McGrath Auto history

Since Leo McGrath opened his first dealership in 1946, a lot has changed, except for one thing: When you enter a McGrath dealership, you are treated as though you are a guest in their home.

Because of his tenacity and "Sky's the Limit" mindset, H.B. McGrath was selected by General Motors to open a Buick store in Eau Claire, Wisconsin in 1952.

He was stationed in North Carolina and led a formation of jets that flew over President Dwight D. Eisenhower's inauguration in 1953, family members said.

Then, in 1957, H.B. McGrath sold the Buick store and relocated to Cedar Rapids, Iowa to open his next dealership, McGrath Pontiac.

In 1964, he put all of his earnings on the line andfounded McGrath Automotive Group.

In 1974, Bruce McGrath became the dealer and constructed the current Pontiac dealership.

In 1976, he built the first stand-alone Honda dealership in the Chicago area.

In 1979, Pat McGrath joined the company, followed shortly thereafter by Mike McGrath.

Theoriginal 1986 building was refurbished the exterior to Audi’s Hanger Concept andcompletely changed the layout and design.After years of little facility adjustment, Gary headed the push to develop newproperty at the corner of Randall Rd and the I-90 expressway.

He later built the first stand-alone Honda dealership in the Chicago area and opened McGrath Nissan with a son in 1990.

The McGrath Family of Dealerships was formed in 1991 with the partnership of Mike McGrath Auto Center, Pat McGrath Oldsmobile-GMC-ISUZU and Pat McGrath Chevrolet.

In 2001 Gary converted the gravel lot next doorinto the wonderful facility you see today.Audi, our latest addition, joined the family in a rather lucky way.

In 2003 he built a stunning 90,000 squarefoot, three level building to house Acura just to the south in Morton Grove.

In September of 2009 our new100,000 square foot Honda facility opened its doors.

Lindsay McGrath is named the General Manager of BGCK, which opens 12/12/2011.