In 1899, Charles F. Kerbeck, patriarch of the Kerbeck family and grandfather of the three Kerbeck brothers who are the present day owners, began bringing his dream of providing quality transportation to the growing Philadelphia-area population. Horse drawn carriages evolved into coaches powered by gasoline engines, which evolved into automobiles. Over 100 years later, the Kerbeck dealerships are among the most prominent and successful in America, with 16 highly successful franchises, 12 different brands and six separate showrooms. It is, unquestionably, one of the great American success stories.
In the early 1920’s, Frank C. Kerbeck continued in his father’s tradition by opening an automobile dealership in Philadelphia. In the early 60’s, as the population spread outside of the city, Kerbeck opened what was at that time a very large showroom on Route 73 in Palmyra, N.J. at the foot of the Tacony Palmyra Bridge. He named this new establishment F.C. Kerbeck & Sons and began a unique marketing plan: selling pre-owned Cadillacs exclusively. After Kerbeck passed away in 1968, his wife Jennie along with his eldest son Charles, operated the dealership. Shortly thereafter, Charles’ two younger brothers, George and Frank, joined the business and the company began developing into the mega-dealership of today. In the late 1970s, the Kerbecks foresaw an exciting opportunity and expanded into Atlantic City. They began growing, earning the respect of manufacturers and aligning themselves with General Motors, they were awarded highly coveted franchises for Cadillac, Chevrolet and Pontiac. To meet the increasing demand another large operation in Pleasantville NJ was added where they earned franchises for Subaru and Mitsubishi.
At the dealership in Palmyra NJ where it all started, luxury car franchises were awarded by Rolls Royce, Bentley, Lamborghini, Maserati, and Aston Martin. On the domestic front, Buick and GMC were added to the pre-owned Cadillac and Lincoln division.