Curran Turns 50

The corner of Barnum and Main doesn't look much different than it did 50 years ago, and like most busy intersections in Fairfield County, that's probably a good thing. There's a strip mall, which is still essential to any snapshot of American suburbia. A gas station that probably does pretty well, and across the street, a burger joint fittingly called Wayback. Time never really stands still, but in Stratford, a snug bedroom town on the Long Island Sound, it's in no hurry, either.

There's also a car dealership, understated compared to most, a rock-solid fixture in a community where substance trumps style every day of the week. In June 1973, after a failed Chevrolet store surrendered its lot to a trio of Connecticut businessmen, Curran Volkswagen was born to minimal fanfare and major ambition. A few local newspapers showed up for the ribbon-cutting ceremony, asked a few questions, then shot photographs of guys in antediluvian business attire posing with a white Beetle.

So yes, thank goodness, a few things have changed.

Five decades and 34,000 automobiles later, a sense of nostalgic pride denotes this shopful of German craftsmanship, which makes its golden anniversary a perfect opportunity to herald a job exceptionally well done. Since the late Tom Curran bought out his two partners in the mid 1970s, his dealership has grown into a prototypical family enterprise. It has withstood inflation, recession and considerable fiscal discretion to rank as one of the state's most successful VW brokers on an annual basis. It has survived when other stanked, prospered when times were good and never forgotten the most important tenet to anyone who peddles a product to the public.

The customer may not always be right, but he is appreciated. Sale or no sale. "Our line of work has always suffered from a negative reputation, and in many cases, it is deserved," president Chris Curran says. "Buying a car can be a difficult experience for a lot of people. We understand that. We do everything we can to make them feel comfortable because we're part of the same local fabric. We embrace the general perceptions that come with our industry and feel obligated to rise above them."

It's certainly worth noting that selling Volkswagens in the United States is no easy task. The product occupies a niche market in a nation that instinctively shows a strong bias toward American manufacturers. Everybody owns and operates an assembly plant in the U.S. nowadays, but the Fords and Chevrolets of this great country still enjoy a pronounced competitive advantage.

For years upon its inception, Volkswagen built just one kind of car. It was a cute little thing with the engine in the trunk and a price tag that didn't bite, but it was just one model-a concept of imagination that wasn't suited for everybody. When VW began to expand its architectural horizons around the same time Tom Curran bought the lot, Honda and Toyota were emerging as major players on America's automobile landscape. The Germans had to scratch and claw for credibility to earn a spot on the short list of consumer options.

Curran VW did a better job than almost anyone at turning rubber and steel into dollars and sense. From a low point of 210 cars sold in 1991, it reached 1,000 by the end of the decade. Although 1999 remains the biggest year in the franchise's history, the volume of purchased inventory has maintained a strong and remarkably steady pace-traits directly attributable to superb service and an unfailing commitment to the buyer's best interests. Alas, the 21st century showed up with some problems in its pockets. A tough climate can turn big-ticket salesmanship into a battle of attrition, and lots of dealerships shut down in the mid-2000s. General Motors terminated Pontiac altogether in 2010. Cadillac barely survived the luxury-car exodus and frigid economy circa 2007 and basically underwent a complete overhaul of its line to remain relevant. Volkswagen held its market share because the product offers one of the finest driving experiences ever designed on four wheels. Agile. Nimble Affordable.

"When we opened in '73, everybody had a dealership in Stratford," Chris Curran recalls. "Ford, Chevy, Cadillac and Oldsmobile, Pontiac, Chrysler-they're all gone now. All of them but us."

To know Tom Curran's son is to realize that he's not the type of person who dances in the end zone after scoring a touchdown. Chris might worry a bit less than most native New Englanders, but he's also a Red Sox fan, blessed with enough smarts and savvy to know that danger could be parked a block up the street. Curran VW's success and staying power are the offspring of his acute business instincts and immense knowledge of the items on his showroom floor.

It didn't hurt matters that his younger brother Jim, a bonafide Irish twin, was born with Cary Grant's charm and Chris Farley's ability to make people laugh. Jimmy was a one-man sales team at his old man's shop, a gift to mankind who succumbed to cancer in August 2020-two weeks before his 60th birthday. He was the kind of guy everyone wanted to be around all the time, a giant-hearted nutball whose passion and perspective made him the sanest man in every room he walked into.

The dude could sell a Pinto to Richard Petty. Not only that, he'd hop into the passenger seat alongside King Richard and disappear for two days, then return with a sack full of toys for the kids. His and yours.

If Jimmy were still with us, he'd celebrate Curran VW's 50th anniversary halfway to the 51st, presiding over a party where everybody matters and nobody leaves without recognizing all the beauty this world has to offer. Despite the loss of his brother, COVID-19, and radical changes in how Americans purchase an automobile, Chris soldiers on with unrelenting purpose. With few exceptions, the days of dickering over the price tag on a Scirocco with some guy in a loud tie have been replaced by internet research and predetermined cost. Those who work the floor at a car dealership have become facilitators, their duties reflective of core values the Curran family adopted long ago.

Trust and respect. Information and gratification. Building relationships that can last because the VWs will, too. It's what Tom Curran believed in. It's what Chris Curran lives by, and with all three of his sons-Sean, Chris and Eric-occupying vital roles at the company, that won't change anytime soon.