Don Drennen Motor Co.

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The Don Drennen Motor Co. (originally operating as Don Drennen Buick) was an automobile dealership that was founded in July 1951 by Don Drennen, the brother and former business partner of Hubert Drennen, who founded the Drennen Motor Company in 1908.

The original dealership was located at 2220 Avenue E Ensley, with a body shop a block west, and used car lot on the corner of 22nd Street Ensley.

Drennen's son, Don Drennen Jr joined the company after he graduated from the Virginia Military Institute in 1956. Drennen Jr became president in 1968. The dealership moved to 1626 Montgomery Highway in Hoover in 1972, and added AMC/Jeep models to the lineup.

After Chrysler bought AMC, Drennen took on the Chrysler franchise in 1992, becoming Don Drennen Buick Chrysler Jeep. The company's parts department has became one of the largest in the nation, delivering Mopar and other parts to a 15-state region. In 1993, Don Drennen III (called Ward) joined the company. He took over day-to-day management in 2005.

On May 14, 2009 Chrysler Corporation included the dealership in a list of 789 dealers it planned to stop servicing. Drennen vowed to appeal the company's decision, but was unable to win back their position as a Chrysler dealer. Then, on June 1, GM also notified the dealer they would "wind down" their relationship, but gave the dealership one year to close GM-related sales. In late October, however, GM stated the move was a mistake and re-established Don Drennen Buick as a Buick dealer.

In April 2011, the Don Drennen Motor Company was purchased by Hendrick Automotive Group of North Carolina, who renamed it Hoover Buick and then Hendrick Buick. Hendrick carried out a $1 million renovation of the dealership.

References

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