Algar Maserati of Philadelphia
Setting the Standard for Over Four Decades

On our travels we have visited numerous Maserati showrooms. Some have been in new buildings, all glass and marble; others have been in older buildings, with wooden beams and patinated brickwork. We’d be willing to wager a substantial sum of money that, of all the Maserati dealerships in North America, only one can claim that its building has produced horseless carriages and a bulletproof limousine for a pope!

Algar Maserati of Philadelphia has a long history; it has held a franchise for various Italian marques going back to the mid-1960s. When we met General Manager Francis De Ruschi, and sales representative Heather Gray, in their showroom on Lancaster Avenue, in Rosemont, we asked about the building. It has a long and proud history in the automotive industry. “This building dates back to the 1860s or 1870s, and in all that time it only had three owners,” Francis told us. “Algar has been here since 1967, but before that it was home to the Derham Coachworks, going right back to 1884. That company began building horse-drawn carriages, then moved on to make carriage bodies for automobiles; they moved on to become specialist coachbuilders, including making bulletproof limousines, and they actually made cars for a couple of presidents and a pope. We have some photos of the building, going right back to 1885, and it’s fascinating to see how it was, and how Lancaster Avenue looked more than a hundred years ago.”

Algar was a Maserati dealer back in the 1960s and 1970s, and some of their customers have maintained their loyalty to both the marque and the dealership ever since, a true rarity in the automobile business. “We still do get some cars from back then brought in for service – occasionally someone will bring in a Mistral, a Bora or a Merak,” said Francis. “I’ve been able to try some of the older cars, and I think the Bora is one of the most impressive Maseratis I’ve driven – that car is an animal! Those older cars have aged really well, and have become true classics. And it’s good for us, because we’ve managed to persuade some of the owners of those older cars to become owners of modern Maseratis.”

Having been a dealer of Italian cars for more than 40 years, you’d expect Algar to have mastered the “tricks of the trade” – but according to Francis and Heather, there are no real secrets and certainly no tricks. “Dealing with people in an honest, open manner is the key – just focusing on customer service,” explained Francis. “These are clever people – they didn’t get to a position where they can buy these cars by being dim, so you have to respect that and treat them as such. We feel that this is a conservative market, and what works best is being completely up front and straightforward; present the entire deal as it is, don’t try to play any games, because these people are too smart for that. We believe our clients respect us for that, and when you have that attitude, this is a pretty simple business.”

Heather Gray and Francis De Ruschi

“We also follow up with people after they have bought the car, and we do our best to look after them,” continued Heather. “When a car needs servicing we’ll provide a loaner, and we put on events where the aim is to get people behind the wheel. We do a couple of rallies each year, and we invite current owners to those, because the important thing about Maseratis is that they should be driven, and there are some terrific roads in this area.”

We were intrigued by Francis saying that they viewed their market as ‘conservative’, so we asked what he meant by that. “I’ve heard it said many times that Philadelphia is one of the first markets to react to bad news, and one of the last to react to good news,” he explained. “The people are very conservative; in some places, where you have a road with multi-million dollar mansions on it, each one will have a ‘status’ car parked outside – Rolls-Royce, Bentley, Maserati. We have roads like that here - but you’re more likely to see a Volvo wagon outside, or a Subaru. One of our biggest challenges is simply convincing people to try something new, which is something we’re always working on. You can have someone who has driven different BMWs for ten years straight, or Mercedes – the buyers of those brands tend to be very loyal. In fact, one of the most important things about a Maserati is that it’s different, it sets you apart; and the cars are so stylish. We hear it from just about everyone who comes in, whether they are looking to buy a car or a key fob, they all think the cars are gorgeous.”

One way of reaching out to prospective clients is by arranging events with suitable partners, whose existing clients can appreciate the unique delights offered by Maserati. “We work closely with a local high-end jeweler, Bernie Robbins – we’ve had cars on display at their showroom, and we had them come here when we held the GranTurismo launch party,” explained Francis. “Recently, we held an event at Allentown airport, in conjunction with New World Aviation, which specializes in charter hire of private jets. We took three cars there, and they were so popular, they were running constantly. You have to choose your partners carefully, to be sure that their clients are the kind who will be interested in our cars, and vice versa.”

Algar also supports a local charity – one we had never come across before, but whose name alone is enough to ensure we won’t forget it. “When we had our GranTurismo launch party, we supported the Adopt a Pig charity – don’t worry, no one got dirty, there were no real pigs involved,” Heather laughed as she saw the look on our faces. “It was started by a guy whose young daughter was diagnosed with cancer, and he was trying to come up with ways of raising funds. His daughter painted a piggy bank, and they used it to put their loose change in. Well, now they get lots of children to paint piggy banks, and they sell them; when they get full, you take the money out and count it, then send a check to the charity. We sold quite a few at the party, as well as holding a raffle with the proceeds being donated to the charity as well.”

Turning back to the cars, we were interested to hear what impact the introduction of the Automatic, in 2006, had had on their market, and whether they thought the MC-Shift transmission, used in the GranTurismo S, was a good move. “The introduction of the Automatic opened up a whole new category of customers for us, so we thought that was a great thing,” said Heather. “There were a number of people who wanted nothing to do with paddle-shifters, especially those who had never driven a manual transmission. The DuoSelect transmission was great, but some people found it strange – frightening, almost. The Automatic makes the car more acceptable, and it’s opened up a whole new clientele for us.”

“I think the introduction of the GranTurismo S, and the MC-Shift transmission, is very important for Maserati,” continued Francis. “Ever since the first road cars, Maserati has been renowned for the sporting nature of its cars, so I think that it’s excellent the GranTurismo S has such a sporting dynamic to maintain the heritage of the company. We actually have one or two customers who simply refuse to even take an Automatic for a test drive, they are so committed to the DuoSelect transmission; now, I think the Automatic is actually more pleasant when you are driving in town, but I’m sure they will be very interested in the GranTurismo S when it arrives.”

Besides being in an historic building, Algar also has the distinction of being a dealership which is well known beyond its local market. We asked how they managed to acquire such a valuable reputation, and how they maintained it. “Well, we’ve been in business for a lot of years, and I think we are an icon for the ‘Mainline’ area for Italian cars, and I think Maserati fits in perfectly with that,” Francis said. “Mainline refers to this stretch of route 30, from City Line Avenue all the way out to Malvern. We try to make this a comfortable place for people to visit – we try to be straightforward, and we try to be a little laid-back; our customers don’t come in wearing a coat and tie, so neither do we. For me, it says a lot when someone calls you up from the other side of the country and says, I’ve never heard anything bad about Algar. That reputation means a lot, and you work hard to protect it.”

“One thing that’s interesting – Villanova University is just down the street, and some of the kids who played basketball there have gone on to the NBA,” continued Francis. “They could be playing anywhere in the country, yet they come back to buy their cars from us. Kerry Kittles bought a car from us – he was playing for the New Jersey Nets at the time, and was living up in Mahwah, NJ. He remembers as a kid, going to a store up the street – when he was going home he’d stop and look through the windows, and told himself: when I make it in the NBA, I’m coming back here to buy a car – and that’s exactly what he did.”

With customers showing such loyalty, with dedication to customer service and with such a solid reputation, Algar Maserati of Philadelphia looks set to continue being one of the benchmark dealers on the East Coast, adding still more great history to that unique building and the storied name.