South Bay history: The roots of Don Kott’s landmark car dealership in Carson stretch back to 1929

Don Kott, left, poses with Frank Smolar. The pair hold the customer relations award from the Ford Motor Co. that the dealership had won for 19 of the previous 20 years. Palos Verdes Peninsula News, Aug. 6, 1969, Page 22. Karl Kott first toiled as a janitor after moving to California from Indiana in the early 1900s. After years of working his way up in the auto sales industry, he opened the Karl Kott Motor Co. in 1929.

Like his father, Don Kott became obsessed with automobiles. He graduated from Banning High and USC before joining the Kott and Smolar automobile dealership in 1953.Don Kott Ford closed its dealership in Carson in Dec. 2007. Its parking area, formerly crammed with autos for sale, lies empty in this Jan. 2, 2008 photo.

The Don Kott Ford site currently is being used for vehicle storage while it awaits possible development. June 19, 2024. When his father Karl decided to retire in 1971, Don bought out his partners and took control of the company. Three years later, the younger Kott moved the operation, renamed Don Kott Ford, from Wilmington to a large lot at 21212 Avalon Blvd. in Carson.

He also funded scholarships for high-schoolers from Torrance, Narbonne and Carson His dealership once offered a reduced-cost truck to the Harbor Area Gang Alternatives Program so it could keep graffiti paint-out crews on the road more often. Thousands of freeway commuters read her daily homilies, interspersed with car lot ads. She gathered her bromides from Shakespeare, Beatles lyrics, the Bible, the Torah and newspapers, according to a 2000 Los Angeles Times story.

In 2004, Kott was diagnosed with throat cancer. During his five-year battle with the disease, on Dec. 26, 2007, Don Kott Auto Center officially closed for good. After almost eight decades, the Kott name had vanished from the car dealership scene.Carson civic leaders paid tribute to Kott following his death, including former councilwoman Kay Calas, who praised him for his contributions to the city. She also told Daily Breeze reporter Gene Maddaus, “He was a very good businessman.

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