By Sean Hughes –
My life-long career in automotive first started at a previous dealership at our O’Gara San Diego showroom location in 1993. I came on as a lot boy then started getting good at detailing cars for the dealership, so they hired me at the service facility restoring old Ferraris with Randy Pene. As I gained more experience with the team, I became a sort of showroom manager at the height of the dealership when they were selling the most important, collectible, and valuable cars in the world.
This was a time when the previous dealership also had great name recognition in the San Diego area, and everyone knew me as I did pretty much anything they needed me to do. From scrubbing toilets, picking up lunch for the team, and once even flew in a private jet and helped un-burry one of the most important Ferraris to be sold.
My first sale happened when the past manager asked me if I wanted to try to sell a car, and that I could come in on a Saturday to test my sales skills. As I always spend my Saturdays surfing, I said “no thanks”.
Luckily, I ended up coming in and sold a 1989 Ferrari 328 GTB in the first 45 minutes I was there and made as much money in 45 Minutes as I did in 2 months. And as they say, the rest is history.
When O’Gara purchased the dealership in 2015, I stayed on with sales and eventually took over as the Rolls-Royce Manager in 2020. I love this position in that I get to meet the most interesting people and hearing their incredible stories of success. Some are great stories, some crazy stories, and some are purely just movie-worthy. Experiencing another life through our Rolls Royce clients is fascinating to me – a way to learn some good life lessons.
Back when I was at previous dealerships, we would get the monthly sales reports and O’Gara was always #1. Now that I’m here working with the biggest dealer in the US, it’s quite the honor to be a part of it. Sleepy San Diego has always been a hard market for Rolls Royce, but I’m excited for what our O’Gara team has in store for all of our brands and putting San Diego in the spotlight.
About Rolls-Royce San Diego
Rolls-Royce Motor Cars San Diego is dedicated to providing an exceptional customer experience. Our customers can be assured of the highest standard of service and professionalism, ensuring that choosing a Rolls-Royce Motor Car is as unforgettable an experience as the vehicles themselves.