Jay Kline Chevrolet, Minnesota

[Steven H.]

Received the shipping data report for my '64. Production date 02/21/1964.

It show that the car was delivered to Jay Kline Chevrolet in Minneapolis, Minnesota. Dealer code 4-432.
That dealer name is in the NCRS database but as 4-430
Why would there be two different codes for this dealership?

Anyone familiar with Jay Kline Chevrolet?
I would like to find out the history of the dealership and any other information available.

Thanks, Steven

[Dana B.]

Re: Jay Kline Chevrolet, Minnesota

Steven,

In 1959...
From the book "Directory of American Automobile Dealers"

Jay Klien Chevrolet
1221 West Lake Street
Minneapolis 8, Minnesota


Dana

Received the shipping data report for my '64. Production date 02/21/1964.

It show that the car was delivered to Jay Kline Chevrolet in Minneapolis, Minnesota. Dealer code 4-432.
That dealer name is in the NCRS database but as 4-430
Why would there be two different codes for this dealership?

Anyone familiar with Jay Kline Chevrolet?
I would like to find out the history of the dealership and any other information available.

Thanks, Steven

[Rick A.]

Re: Jay Kline Chevrolet, Minnesota

Google pulled up the following info:

Jay Kline Chevrolet
1221 W Lake St
Mpls, MN 55408

Ray Eliot bought the business in the spring of 1989 (he thinks) and closed it in February 1991.

also, there is a KLINE VOLVO at 3040 Hwy 61, Maplewood, MN 55109 651-481-9600
Maplewood is a suburb of Minneapolis - may be worth a call, as probably related???

[Jerry S.]

Re: Jay Kline Chevrolet, Minnesota

Jay Kline was a big Twin Cities Chevrolet dealer in the 60"s when Lake Street was the center of new car sales for the area. I recall visiting it often to see the new car introductions in 1965 through 1969 when I lived there. They were big into Corvette sales. I have a newspaper ad for them in about the 1968 era which I found in the back of my Dad's 66 Ranchero when I got it and it shows Corvettes for sale. Jerry

[Steven H.]

Re: Jay Kline Chevrolet, Minnesota

Hey Thanks for all the replies and help with this. I had not even heard of this Jay Kline until receiving the dealer info. This dealer sure seemed to be a pretty popular place back in the '60's and '70's.

That's what puzzles me.
There is very little info available on the internet about this place. I don't know when the dealer first started (Dana's reference points to at least 1959) but all I could find was a couple of things that Rick found about the place being sold to Ray Elliot in 1989 and being closed in 1991.
BTW, good catch there Rick about the Volvo dealership, I didn't even see that. I will have to look into that.

I did see where the city of Minneapolis tore the building down after 2000 so the place is obviously gone.
Thanks for that bit of info there Jerry. I thought from some of the info I recently found from the '70's that Jay Kline was a fairly high volume dealer. Was Lake Street the only location or did the place originate elsewhere? That is why I was questioning about the different dealer code numbers.

Again Thanks so much for all the help. If anybody thinks of anything more, please PM me or post it. I really appreciate any and all information.

Steven

[Terry W.]

Re: Jay Kline Chevrolet, Minnesota

Your gonna love this stuff

http://www.twincityoutlaws.com/showthread.php?t=2949

http://www.facebook.com/pages/Jay-Kline-Chevrolet/250543443405

[Jerry S.]

Re: Jay Kline Chevrolet, Minnesota

I found an August 31, 1967 copy of the Minneapolis Tribune (out of my Dad's 66 Ranchero) and it shows a classified ad for Jay Kline Chevrolet and lists the address as 1010-1221 W Lake St followed by "Dupont to Fremont" so it stretched for a couple of blocks along Lake St. Interestingly, Jay Kline had a classified ad in the same newspaper saying that they had 10 Yenko Super Camaros available for immediate delivery from their Hi Performance Center at 1201 W Lake Street. "427" engines in both 4 speed & automatic. If only we could have seen 40 years into the future at that time! Jerry

[Matthew L.]

Re: Jay Kline Chevrolet, Minnesota

Heres a Jay Kline emblem on the back of a 1967 Royal Plum Yenko Camaro that sold there new!!!

[Steven H.]

Re: Jay Kline Chevrolet, Minnesota

Your gonna love this stuff

http://www.twincityoutlaws.com/showthread.php?t=2949

http://www.facebook.com/pages/Jay-Kl...t/250543443405

Terry,
Thanks for those links! They were both very interesting. I never knew that there was a website dedicated to the Minneapolis/St. Paul area!
That place must have really been a hotbed of performance cars, both street and strip. It must have been something to have grown up around the area in those days.

[Steven H.]

Re: Jay Kline Chevrolet, Minnesota

I found an August 31, 1967 copy of the Minneapolis Tribune (out of my Dad's 66 Ranchero) and it shows a classified ad for Jay Kline Chevrolet and lists the address as 1010-1221 W Lake St followed by "Dupont to Fremont" so it stretched for a couple of blocks along Lake St. Interestingly, Jay Kline had a classified ad in the same newspaper saying that they had 10 Yenko Super Camaros available for immediate delivery from their Hi Performance Center at 1201 W Lake Street. "427" engines in both 4 speed & automatic. If only we could have seen 40 years into the future at that time! Jerry

Jerry,
Any way to scan and PM me a copy of the ad? I would really like to see it.

Thanks

[Steven H.]

Re: Jay Kline Chevrolet, Minnesota

Matthew,
Thanks for the picture! It shows the dealer emblem real good.
The blacked out taillight panel is sharp, I always liked that little detail.
Years ago my '66 GTO had the blacked out tail panel on it also.
Man I miss that car.

[Rick A.]

Re: Jay Kline Chevrolet, Minnesota

Steven,

yepper, MSP was a hotbed and really still is - they have a classic/hotrod show every year at the State Fair grounds where they draw over 20,000 cars - it is truly an awesome show!

[Jerry S.]

Re: Jay Kline Chevrolet, Minnesota

Jerry,
Any way to scan and PM me a copy of the ad? I would really like to see it.

Thanks

Steven, Please send me PM with your mailing address and I will send you a photo copy. I don't have a scanner plus newspaper is yellowed a lot, Jerry

[Jerry S.]

Re: Jay Kline Chevrolet, Minnesota

Steven,

yepper, MSP was a hotbed and really still is - they have a classic/hotrod show every year at the State Fair grounds where they draw over 20,000 cars - it is truly an awesome show!

Those were the days! If you lived in the area in the 60's as I did and want to feel a bit nostalgic, think about Minnesota Dragways in Coon Rapids, the dragstrip in New Brighton, Lutz and Lundburg's A/gas Anglia, Al Tschida's green C/gas Willys, Tom Hoover's fuel dragster, cruising Lake Street, The Gopher State Timing Association's Rod and Custom Show at the Minneapolis Armory and there were many more. It was easy to be a car guy at least during the warm months of the year! Jerry

[Rick A.]

Re: Jay Kline Chevrolet, Minnesota

Jerry,

grew up around Elk River and oh, the memories when you mentioned all the drag strips!