The incredible fate of car dealership Gabriel Cavallari in Monaco
Close to a gleaming Ferrari 458 Spider and an equally dapper Lotus Élise Club Racer, his photo portrait, on which a black ribbon is pinned, sits enthroned at the entrance to the showroom. Neat hair, impeccable black suit, benevolent smile and gaze.
Here, in this famous car dealership nestled on rue Princesse-Florestine, as in the eight others scattered between Mougins and Menton, the employees mourn Gabriel Cavallari.
Born in his father’s car garage
The founding president of the eponymous group died on March 22 at the age of 90 after an entire existence devoted to beautiful mechanics. “He started at age 14 as an apprentice in a mechanical workshop in Monaco. At 90, he was always present in the office, listening and eager for projects to live a hundred years more, he often said. say hello to Frédéric Delabrouille, the group’s managing director for the French side and one of his trusted men since 1997.
Viviane Bruno, his secretary since 1965, adds: “He was a go-getter, a workaholic, who knew how to manage his teams. He constantly wanted to diversify. We weren’t bored”entrusts its most faithful employee, 76 years old on the clock.
“Idleness makes me neurasthenic”, slipped, himself, Gabriel Cavallari. Understand: it bothered him deeply.
The automobile was his reason for living, his passion, his leitmotif. He fell into it when he was little, in the literal sense of the word. “He was born in the garage of his father who was a taxi driver”smiles Frédéric Delabrouille.
At just 8 years old, he got his hands dirty and helped his father repair the 8 Delage cylinders. At 20, he became a workshop foreman at Ford and, three years later, manager of a Rolls-Royce dealership and several other English brands. At night, to support his mother and make ends meet, he repairs used vehicles and resells them.
“In 1958, in rue Paradis in Monaco, he opened an electronic control station, the first on the Côte d’Azur, where he specialized in tuning engines. At the time, they easily disturbedtraces Viviane. The adventure of the Cavallari group has begun.”
Very quickly an exhibition space is needed to serve as a showcase: it will be that of the Condamine district, rue Princesse-Florestine, a former industrial bakery. For the anecdote, the sister of the former Shah of Iran, Princess Ashraf Pahlavi, will also push the doors of this premises, a briefcase filled with dollars, to pay for five cars ordered from Gabriel Cavallari.
Throughout his professional career, one brand will hold a special place in his heart: the prancing horse firm, Ferrari, for which he had exclusive rights in the Principality. “He had predispositions for the beautiful V12s. A clientele has united around its technical skills”explains Frédéric Delabrouille.
Ferrari and Gabriel: a true destiny
From year to year, from decade to decade, in France and Monaco, the Cavallari group has expanded with new brands on the list: Volvo, Honda Automobiles, Kia, Subaru, MG, ElectricBrands, Lotus, Aixam and Honda motorcycles.
At the end of 2021, the company weighs 80 million euros in turnover and, each year, 4,000 new and used vehicles are sold, 20% of which are electric and hybrid. “He was very loyal with all the brands he was in contract with.”explains Frédéric Delabrouille.
Hungry for projects, as we have said, Gabriel Cavallari will not see the forthcoming opening of a concession in Roquebrune-sur-Argens, nor the inauguration of 7,300 m² of buildings, opposite the Allianz Riviera, where all the brands from Nice will be grouped together. “Continuity is ensured by his son, Hervé. He will preserve the Cavallari name. All his projects, we will implement them. It’s on our roadmap.”hammers the general manager.
To his two sons, Hervé and Jean-Michel, to his grandchildren, Monaco-Morning sends its most sincere condolences.