About Us
Now in its 27th year, Bel Air Partners is the country’s most comprehensive advisory firm dedicated to private auto dealers. Our firm focuses exclusively on auto dealer advisory assignments including buy/sells, litigation support, valuations, debt & equity raises, and real estate financing.
The combined experience of its senior partners is unparalleled. The
first successful vehicle retailer IPO, Rush Enterprises, was led by Bel
Air’s founder. Other partners’ experiences include a senior UBS
financial analyst, AutoNation’s original vice president responsible for
dealership acquisitions and Capital Automotive’s former senior vice
president responsible for dealership real estate investments in the US
& Canada.
Bel Air occupies that rarified space where expertise, credibility and
relationships meet in the service of its clients. Clients have included
many of the country’s most acclaimed dealerships and several Private
Equity/Family Office investors.
Overview
Bel Air Advises on Buy/Sells
Bel Air has advised public and private dealers on more than one hundred separate dealership transactions and over $12 billion of retail revenue, amounting to more than $2.9 billion in transaction value.
Recent transactions include the sale of a 17-store auto group in New
Jersey, a 6-store auto group in Pennsylvania, and in separate
transactions, the sale of Chrysler Jeep Ford and Infiniti dealerships in
Florida. Additional assignments which closed in 2024 include
Mercedes-Benz, Kia, and Mitsubishi brand dealerships. Our 2025
pipeline includes Subaru, Honda and Ford brands.
Among Bel Air’s more notable / recent successes was the sale of
Bernie Moreno Cleveland dealerships including Mercedes Benz,
Porsche, Rolls Royce, Aston-Martin and Maserati. Additionally, Bel Air
advised one of the country’s most recognizable private equity/hedge
funds in its investment in retail automotive distribution.
Bel Air Performs Valuations
Bel Air has performed hundreds of dealership valuations for both financial institutions and dealers. In 2024, the company consulted with a large northeastern family-owned group of stores to evaluate its fair market value. Another recent assignment concerned the valuation of a dealership group at the behest of a bank considering a large dealer credit facility. Notably, Bel Air provided a fairness option for Penske Auto Group's (PAG) Board of Directors in a potential conflict of interest transaction.
Bel Air is an Expert Witness
Litigation support is a significant and
differentiating competency. Included have been court appearances as
expert witnesses. Bel Air is routinely retained by several nationally
recognized law firms in support of their representation in conflicts with
auto manufacturers, partnership disputes and other cases.
Recently, Bel Air had been retained to
calculate damages in a dispute where our client was improperly denied
ownership of a multi-franchise group. Another case concerns a
manufacturer denial of a dealer’s desire to move its dealership to
another location. Additionally, the successful expert witness testimony
provided by two Bel Air partners on behalf of a Honda dealer whose
landlord improperly denied access to previously leased property
resulted in a significant damages award for our client.
Bel Air Originates Real Estate Refinancing
Recognizing the
significance of dealership real estate, Bel Air assists dealers in real
estate financing. In a recent engagement, we assisted a substantial
client in the refinancing of several of his dealerships through a
structured sale lease/back financing transaction.
Bel Air Organizes and Participates in Industry Events
During the AICPA’s 2020 virtual convention, two partners conducted
the session titled “Dynamics of the Buy Sell Market.” In 2022, Bel Air’s
founder was a panelist in Princeton University’s Smart Driving Car
conference along with NADA’s special consultant on the “Future of
Retail Auto Dealerships.”
Since its inception, Bel Air has routinely hosted special events to address
issues of concern to its auto dealer clients. Pre-Covid, Bel Air hosted a
conference for over 50 private dealers to address the future of
automotive retailing in the age of connected and autonomous cars.
In November 2022, Bel Air hosted the Elite Dealer Summit XV
which explored the changing retail and financing environment dealerships are experiencing.
Additional events are being planned for
2025, including one focused on estate planning.
Relationships
Bel Air is particularly proud of its stellar reputation in
the retail automotive community. Assignments are typically originated
by referrals from long-time relationships, industry professionals and
satisfied clients.
Credibility
Our credibility has been won through many successful
engagements as a financial expert and thought leader. Bel Air’s track
record with dozens of successfully closed deals, litigation support and
valuations has established us as the leader in financial consultancy for
auto dealers.
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- Sophisticated Financial Advice
- Preeminent Strategic Advisors