By Duane Sprague

Clive Skilton moved to the U.S. from England to better pursue his already successful multi-faceted automotive racing career. He took a part-time job in Jaguar sales to supplement his income, and went on to build the Jeep store for Pete Ellis. Not long after, he became Dealer-Principal of Don-A-Vee Jeep-Eagle, which grew into the largest in California. With a location in Bellflower and Placentia, he has expanded his product line to include Chrysler/Plymouth, Isuzu, Kia and Suzuki.
Clive has built a national and international brand and sales organization as a direct result of his motor sports activities.

Q: You have a long and varied history of racing, when did you get started?
I got started in racing 40 years ago in England with go-carts, then I got into drag racing, and moved to Southern California to be closer to the hub of the sport. I then got into the NASCAR Winston West Series driving a Buick, and later a Shelby Charger in IMSA.

Q: How did you become so involved with off-road racing?
It was a natural progression. In 1989 we sponsored a Jeep Cherokee in the Baja 1000. The following year we owned, drove and sponsored our own Jeep. As a Jeep dealer, I wanted to race and promote my own products, and turn my love of racing into a marketing and promotional opportunity for the dealership.

Q: How have your efforts paid off in regards to marketing and promoting your dealership(s) with motor sports?
Very well in fact. We now enjoy a national and international reputation for success and brand image as a result of making it to the top of our sport (off road racing and off-road rallies). We now sell parts and accessories into nearly every state in the U.S., and into several countries world-wide. Our motor sports program has taken our dealership global.

Q: Wow! Can you explain how you sell around the world.

Yes. As a result of our racing efforts, we have researched, designed, tested, and fabricated dozens of parts and accessories to improve our performance in very demanding situations. These race-proven parts have helped us win trophies, races and championships. We then created our own direct-mail catalog of on and off-road performance and appearance parts and accessories for our product lines. We also created an Internet catalog and web-site (www.don a vee.com). Our 100 page catalog is sent to customers and prospects all over the world. And we now have a thriving mail-order business. Although we are located in Southern California, our number one state for sales from our catalog is Pennsylvania. Our retail parts business thrives, and is growing constantly

Some of the parts we developed include brush guards, skid plates, under body rock guards, gas can carriers, luggage racks, and a very unique rear outside tire carrier for the Grand Cherokee. This tire carrier can easily be attached without drilling any holes in the body.

Q: Besides fabricating and selling your own line of parts and accessories, how else has your racing program created name awareness?
Well, because we are now known as the best in the business of off-road racing, Suzuki and Kia have both approached us to build project and concept vehicles for them. Our Suzuki project vehicle will be on display at the Detroit and Los Angeles Auto Shows for example. We also built a Race vehicle for Kia for the Baja 1000. And we consult with Chrysler Corp. In addition to working directly with the manufacturers, we also build project vehicles for the many off-road and sport-utility vehicle magazines. We have had numerous feature articles with our “How-To” tips and tricks articles. We also run ads in those magazines for our mail-order catalog.

Q: How else do you use racing to promote your dealerships, and drive sales?
Beyond the free media coverage we receive on TV, radio, newspapers, consumer and trade magazines, and beyond our catalog mail-order business, there are several ways the racing promotes our business. For example, we have created an excellent branding and name awareness campaign for Jeep, for the Don-A-Vee dealerships, and for our catalog business, and for our own line of parts and accessories.

Also, our race vehicles are on display all year long at dozens of car shows, car clubs, racing and off-road events, and at our dealerships.

Another big push for us, is that we get directly involved with the off-road enthusiasts by offering free educational and driving classes to our new car customers, the off-road clubs, and schools. These people all own sport-utility vehicles, and they are eager to learn about how to get the most out of their experience, and their vehicles, after the purchase from our dealerships. When they see how our vehicles and aftermarket accessories perform, well it goes without saying that they naturally want them. These grass roots consumer educational programs also position us as THE experts and professionals in the field. We are the last word in off-road. And when you sell sport utility vehicles, that is an excellent position to hold.

All of these elements combine to create very strong word-of-mouth advertising through race fans, off-road enthusiasts, and sport-utility owners.

A very important subject that we have also positioned ourselves as experts in, is the “Tread Lightly” program. We teach and support the responsible use of public lands for off-road use, and we never go outside of the designated boundaries, or go off the designated trails. Respect and care for our environment and public lands is a big issue for us, and all professionals in the field. Besides doing the right thing, we get a lot of good press from this program.

Q: Are there any other benefits you receive from motor sports?
Absolutely. From an internal standpoint we have created very strong employee morale and pride. When you are at the top of the heap, and you receive so much positive media coverage, the staff gets very excited and proud to be associated with the winning team. It reduces turn-over, and it attracts a much higher level of talent. For example, Danny Cerney has been with us for five years. He started as a Tech., moved into parts, and now he runs our mail-order department. He also builds concept cars for the manufacturers. Because of our racing, Danny has the opportunity to help research, test and develop new parts, that he can then turn into profitable retail opportunities. We are proud to have such talent, and we offer an environment of creativity and opportunity that makes him happy to be here.

Q: From a return on investment standpoint, would you say that your motor sports program has paid off?
Yes it has. We have created a very big program, and we have increased vehicle and parts sales as a result. However, I must give a lot of thanks and credit to our sponsors for helping us along the way, because without Valvoline, BF Goodrich, and American Racing Wheels, we would not have quite the high-profile program we now enjoy. Good corporate sponsors are crucial to going all the way. And the credibility and cross-promotion opportunities that good sponsors provide is very important in leveraging your media and advertising exposure.


Q: What types of classes and vehicles do you run?
Our biggest program in terms of high-profile is the Score International Desert Series, where we race a 650 H.P. V-8 Jeep Trophy Truck in the Unlimited Class. This is the top-dog of off-road racing. We also have a Class 3 Jeep, and a Stock Production Jeep Class.