Classic Chevrolet in Top 100

Scott Nishimura snishimura@bizpress.net

Classic Chevrolet, family-owned and -run since 1960, has a litany of impressive numbers. The Grapevine dealership has been the nation’s No. 1 new Chevrolet store eight years running. It says it has 10 times the average inventory of Chevy dealers and stocks 2,000 new Chevrolets with a strong range in trim level, color, interior and equipment at any given time. The company, owned by Tom Durant, also lays claim to two straight years of outselling other Chevrolet dealers in preowned car sales in Arkansas, Kansas, Louisiana, Mississippi, Missouri, Nebraska, Oklahoma and Texas. Classic says it typically stocks 250 or more preowned vehicles.

The Thompson Group at Classic is the largest commercial operation in the country. It maintains an inventory that includes more than 500 upfitted commercial vehicles and the full Chevy line-up of passenger cars, trucks and SUVs. Durant owned his first dealership in 1972 in Granbury and purchased Classic Chevrolet in 1988. The company moved in 1992 to a 65,000-square-foot facility on 11 acres in Grapevine.

In the last 10 years, Classic has expanded to 22 acres, with a new large truck center, commercial specialty vehicle facility, separate building for preowned vehicles and new body shop. Durant owns 10 dealerships: Classic Chevrolet; Classic Buick GMC in Carrollton; Mike Brown Ford, Mike Brown Chrysler Jeep Dodge, and Classic Chevrolet Buick GMC in Granbury; Classic Chrysler Jeep Dodge & Mazda in Denton; Classic Buick GMC in Arlington; Classic Chevrolet Sugarland in Sugarland; Stingray Chevrolet in Plant City, Fla.; and Classic Auto Group in Galveston.

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